SPD The Future is Near
by Wolflmg
Summary: Mr. Collins has been keeping a dark secret from Wes, something that happened back in 2001. Things start to wrape up while many questions hang in the balance.
1. Untold Secrets

_March 5th 1981_

Andrea Collins sat at her desk with a large sketch of some type of tank in front of her. She began making several marks of measurements and pinpoints on the blue print.

Off to the side of her desk was a picture of her husband and three year old son, Wesley. She looked up at the picture and smiled; everything in her life was perfect. She had a loving husband, a beautiful kind-hearted son, a job she loved. What more could a woman want?

"How's it going?" asked her husband, Alec Collins, a man in his early thirties, already very successful in his company Bio-Lab, in a new age of research to better the world.

"Going very well. I should have the designs finished by next week. We should be able to start building it within the next year." She watched as he walked around behind her, leaning down close and staring at the design.

"The Raimei, kind of catchy." He grinned.

"Yes," She turned around in her chair, stood up and put her arms around his neck. "Just think, in the years to come we will be one of the biggest supporters in the defense industry."

"That will be wonderful, a safer place for our son to grow up in." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Mom! I'm ready for you to read my bedtime story," they heard young Wes call from down the hall.

The two parents grinned. "Speaking of son," said Andrea. She started to roll up the design, but Alec stopped her.

"No, go ahead, I'll take care of it," he said, taking the blueprints from her. "Don't keep our little man waiting."

"Thanks, honey." She kissed him on the cheek before heading out of the office.

Alec stared down at the design. It was perfect, unlike anything he had ever seen. Andrea had all these ideas on defense and law enforcement, a brighter future for their son to grow up in, for all children, a safer and more promising world. And with his company having some of the top scientists and researchers in the state, there was no telling what they'd be able to accomplish.

_….But sometimes life has a way of throwing things at you, things that end up changing everything and throwing all your plans, all of your hopes and dreams out of balance.

* * *

_

_July 1st 1989_

The brakes screeched hard as the car started to drive out of control. Andrea felt her heart racing as the car spun. She couldn't see anything through the darkness and pouring rain. Her eleven year old son Wes was scared to death, watching frightened and helpless as the car spun around and around.

"Mom!" he shouted shakily.

"It's okay, sweetie. Everything's going to be all right. I promise." She tried to regain control of the car, but all attempts failed, nothing would work. And then the worst possible thing happened and by the time she saw it, it was already too late. A truck on the road had also lost control, due to severe weather conditions. It was coming right at them. The last thing both of them saw were big bright lights.

"Wesley!"

"Mom!" cried Wes. The truck slammed against them, sending their car spinning out of control, hitting a tree and then rolling on its side.

_One week later._

Alec Collins sat close to his son, who had been in a light coma for a little over a week. He had been away on business when the accident had taken place. By the time he had gotten home, it was too late…

Wes flashed his eyes open. Despite a few cuts and bruises, he was fine. The doctors had said he wouldn't be in the coma for long. That he had been very lucky.

"Dad?" Wes looked at his dad and then looked around the room, confused. This wasn't his bedroom; none of this looked familiar to him.

His father looked up, smiling faintly. "Wes." He gently ran his hand through his son's hair. "You're awake."

"Where am I?"

"The hospital." He saw the fearful look on his son's face. "But don't worry, you're going to be all right." Collins sighed; it was just enough to see him moving his eyes around. "Do you remember what happened?"

Wes winced at the memory he couldn't get out of his head. It all happened so fast. There was nothing they could do. "A truck hit Mom and me. It was raining real hard."

"That's right." Collins took his son's hand, sighing heavily. He was already feeling the agony in his heart starting to return. It had been hard enough for him, and now Wes…

"Where's Mom?" he asked, looking at his father with his big blue wide-open eyes. "I want to see her."

Collins felt his heart break into a million pieces. Here was the question he had been dreading for the past week. He felt his voice breaking apart, but he held it all in, needing to stay strong. "I'm sorry son, but your mother is no longer with us."

Tear filled Wes's eyes. He shook his head. No, it couldn't be true. "No…No…no!" he cried. Why? Why'd she have to die? It wasn't fair. He still needed her.

He gripped his son's shoulder. "You've got to be strong, Wes. From now on it's just you and me," his father announced putting on a very strong and brave face for his son.

Wes sniffled, nodding his head.

* * *

_A couple of weeks later…_

Alec Collins stood in a large room, where the Raimei was being built. On a large table rested the blueprints. The design Andrea had done just a few years before, before everything changed, before their dream fell apart.

"Sir, the project isn't finished. You can't just put a stop to it, we're halfway through," said one of the workers. "Not after all the hard work that was put into it."

His face became hard, almost violent. "It is _my_ project! I can damn well put a stop to it whenever I wish!" he roared into the worker's face.

Although frightened, the worker still persisted. "It was Andrea's project. Her design. She would have wanted it finished." He looked Collins hard in the eyes. "And you know it." He slightly backed down when Collins stared at him with a monstrous glare. "Sir."

"Andrea is dead! This project is dead!" Collins waved his hands, pointing right at the worker. "I want you to have your men and your junk cleared out of here by tomorrow. Is that understood!"

"But sir-"

Collins got right into the man's face. "Is that understood?" he roared again.

He sighed, nodding his head. It was useless, no matter what he said it didn't seem to matter. "Yes," he answered softly.

"Good!" Collins then stormed out of the building.

The worker in charge turned around to face all the people working on the tank. "Pack it up, people. This project has been terminated." He sighed heavily. It was a shame, they were really progressing on the Raimei, and now all their hard work was for nothing. Everything Andrea had put into this was gone, in one instant, just as her life had been taken from her, far too quickly.

A few hours later Collins was back in his office, yelling on the phone. "Yes, I want you to cancel everything, drop the project …Of course I'm sure….Yes…Goodbye." He slammed the phone down. He sighed heavily as he ran his hands down his face.

His eyes fell onto the picture of his wife, Andrea, who had died a few weeks before, a fatal car accident. Wes had been with her, but he had survived, with minor injuries. In that moment Alec swore to himself that he would never let anything in, never let anything remind him of her, because it just hurt too much.

* * *

"But sir, it's only been a month; you cannot send Master Wes away now," Philips sighed. "He still needs you, just as much as you need him." But Collins didn't answer, his face was hard as a brick. "Both you and Andrea had agreed never to send your children away to school," protested Philips.

"I made my decision." His eyes locked hard on Philips. "And in case you haven't noticed, Andrea is no longer here. I'm both parents now, so whatever I say goes."

Philips wasn't about to back down. "You cannot keep doing this, sir. First her own projects that she worked so hard on. And now, you're sending her only son away to school. Sir, y-you cannot-"

Collins got right into Philips' face. His face was hard and unmoving. "You finish that sentence and you'd better be looking for another job."

Philips then backed off; no matter what he said he couldn't reason with him. He sighed heavily, although he didn't agree with what Mr. Collins was doing he would have to go along with it. He knew he had to stay here, for her, for Wes and for _him_. Although he wouldn't say or show it, Philips knew Alec was hurting, much more then anyone knew. And there were those who had always wondered: would Alec rather it been Wes than Andrea, but no one would ever ask it or speak it.

"I will go help Master Wes pack his things," sighed Philips as he headed upstairs to Wes's bedroom.

Philips found young Wes sitting on his bed with his head down, staring at a picture in his lap. The kind butler sighed as he walked over to the boy and sat down next to him. He put a comforting arm around the boy, knowing it had been sometime since Wes had even felt the loving touch of his father.

"What if I don't like it there?"

He paused for a moment. "I'm sure you'll make friends in no time. You're very good at that. If you like I'll write to you."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course." Philips smiled, looking down at the picture. "You're a lot like her you know."

Wes sighed. "Is that why he's sending me away?" He gulped in, feeling tears start to rush down his face. "Because I don't have to be like her, I can be-"

"No, don't ever change, Wes." Philips sighed. "Your father is just having a hard time dealing with this. He loved your mother very much. It's just going to take time, that's all."

Wes set the picture of his mother on his bed and turned to look at Philips. "Do you think things will ever be the same again?"

"In time, yes." He smiled. "Come on, I'll help you pack your things."

But it would be a little more than twelve years later when Alec Collins would begin to realize just how hardened his heart had become. And that was just when the trouble began, when everything changed, when the secrets had started. Alec Collins would have to carry most of those secrets for a good five years, until he would reveal them to the one he cared for the most, and after the secret was out, both of their lives would be forever changed….


	2. The Proposition

_Present day…_

Tommy was pounding a hammer against a piece of wood, driving the nail in. It had been a year since the destruction of his home, but since then a new one had taken its place; thanks to his old time friend Smitty things had moved along quickly and Tommy was able to leave the Collins cabin. He was just adding the last few finishing touches, when an old friend had dropped by.

"Andros, I appreciate the offer. Really. But I can't. I promised several people I'd given that up." Tommy continued to work hard on his shed.

"Look, if it's the whole health thing that's stopping you, that can be taken care of. I know someone who can fix that, with treatment."

"It's not just the health thing." Tommy stopped what he was doing and faced Andros. "I've been doing this since I was fifteen. In a few years I'll be in my thirties. I want to have a life, start a family."

"You can still have a family and do what you always loved, while getting paid for it, so you can support your family." Andros wasn't about to give up.

Tommy laughed at the thought. It almost seemed worth it, but… "No, sorry, but you're going to have to find someone else."

"Tell me you don't miss it."

He smiled faintly. "A part of me will always miss it, but I need to find what else is out there for me, than being a ranger. I'm sorry Andros, please understand."

Andros sighed heavily, nodding his head. "I understand. I had to try; after all, you are the best."

"Thanks."

"Well, I should be going, let you get back to your work." Andros bid farewell and starting making his way to his car to head back home to Angel Grove.

"But I will make a suggestion..."

* * *

"Jen…" It had been a year, since she left him, since she told him she didn't love him, that she still loved Alex. Although he had come to accept it, he hadn't quite gotten over it. He was hurting on the inside even though he wasn't showing it on the outside. He had been keeping busy, commanding the Silver Guardians and preparing for when one day he would take over his father's position. It was the only thing that kept him going, kept him from giving up on life. But sometimes, most of the time, even that wasn't enough.

Over the past three months he had taken on a lot of responsibility. Hayley had gotten a request to go work with the FBI in Detroit, Michigan. Tommy had been able to pull a few strings. He figured he owed her one. But this did put a damper on her relationship with Eric. For the first couple of months Wes could see Eric suffering. And he knew what he was going through. He too knew what it felt like to be so far apart from the one you love.

So Wes talked to his father and then the two talked to Eric, telling him, if he wanted he could leave the Silver Guardians to go be with Hayley. At first Eric had refused, but a couple of days later he had given in, but had said that he would return once Hayley's transfer went through, but that could take a while.

But now Wes was alone. His friends were gone. The woman he loved was gone. It was just him and his father. For the most part he had been keeping to himself, but did his best to stay in contact with Tommy and the others. In fact, a few weeks ago, Wes had gone to Conner's championship college soccer game; afterwards the two went out and celebrated.

Yet lately, Wes had been getting frequent visits from Andros Hammond, or rather his father had. He wasn't quite sure what the two had been talking about, but the past weekly reports had shown new design developments and listed several locations to expand the Silver Guardian bases, including New Tech City, a few hours away from Silver Hills. Also there had been several business expenses that Wes couldn't quite figure out what they were for. It had nothing to do with Bio-Lab or the Guardians, or even any of the charities they took part in. So who or what was the money going to?

He hadn't asked his father what this was all about, but he knew sooner or later he would have to know, so for now he would just have to wait and see. Perhaps it was nothing.

He heard a knock at his door. "Come in," answered Wes, looking up from his work.

He watched as Andros walked in, one of the greatest rangers known and one of the few whom everyone knew had at one time been a ranger. It had been close to seven years since Andros and his team had saved the Earth as well as the universe from destruction.

"Andros, to what do I owe this visit," asked Wes, putting his work aside as Andros walked over and took a seat.

"Well, as you know, over the past few weeks I have had several meetings with your father."

"Yes. I'm aware of that."

"Do you know what it's about?"

Wes shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is it has to do with new developments and expanding the Silver Guardian locations."

Andros nodded his head. "Yes, that is part of it. As you know times are changing, slowly, but changing no doubt."

"Where is this going Andros?"

"In a matter of five years, I believe alliances with other worlds will start to take place. Earth and my home planet KO-35 in a manner of months will have finished negotiations, and will be allies in the universe; other worlds have taken notice of this and soon would like to start making negotiations." He eyed Wes very closely. "And I'm not just talking _humans_."

Wes leaned forward. "You mean….Aliens?"

Andros nodded his head. "Technically speaking, yes, but each of these different beings, races if you will, have their own breed of names; we are humans and the list goes on."

Wes cracked a smile. "Look, Andros, I know you have special contacts with the President. But do you really think he's going to agree to this?"

"He already has." Andros then pulled out a file and showed it to Wes, just stating what he had just said to him. "Saving the world, along with the universe, has its privileges."

Wes leaned back against his seat. "I'll say."

"You don't sound too pleased with the idea of sharing the Earth with an alien. Didn't you have a friend that's a Xybrian? Trip, right?" asked Andros.

"Yeah." Wes sighed. "Sorry, this is just a lot to take in right now."

Andros nodded his head, understanding. "I understand, since Eric Myers' departure you've had a lot to deal with. We can finish this conversation another time if you like."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Next week, okay? This week I'll be traveling to Sirius and be meeting with one of its commanders, Anubis Cruger. It seems they've had several attacks on their planet. I'll be checking it out, along with my team."

"One of the alien planets seeking an alliance with Earth?"

"Yes." Andros nodded his head and got up from his seat.

Wes stood up as well to shake Andros's hand. "And what kind of, ah-"

Andros grinned. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Wes nodded his head. "Take care and be careful out there in space."

"Always am." Andros waved goodbye and left Wes's office.

* * *

Mr. Collins was just finishing up eating his dinner when Wes arrived home. Wes walked into the dinning room, took off his jacket and hung it over the chair, before sitting down.

"I would have thought you would have been home hours ago."

"Yeah. Something came up," answered Wes. One of the workers then set a plate of food in front of him. "Thanks." the worker smiled and left the room.

"Wes, son, is everything all right?" asked his father, looking at Wes, concerned. Ever since Eric had left to go be with Hayley, Wes had been down and distant.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Dad." Wes took a bite of his food. "Andros stopped in today."

"Did he? What'd you talk about?"

Wes smiled. "Not much. Just world alliances with Earth."

"Ah yes." His father smiled. "I have had very interesting conversations with Andros about that."

"Really? Seems you two have been talking a lot lately."

"Yes we have," Collins finished his food and set it aside. "Did you know his home planet owns a satellite prison? It's a little outside the planetary system. Very protected and safer too, very few have ever escaped with their lives."

Wes wasn't sure what had gotten his father interested in law enforcement and the defense industry, first back in 2001 with the Raimei, and then leading to the creation of the Silver Guardians, with ranger-like blasters. Which at the time and even today seemed very odd to Wes; his father as far as he knew never showed any interest in this industry before. And what shook Wes even more was that the Raimei was twenty years in the making, a top secret project his father had started a few years after he had been born. Wes had always wondered where the technology for the Raimei had come from, and whether there were more secrets that Bio-Lab was hiding.

Wes had always known for the most part for his dad to be a good man, but everyone has their secrets. "Wow. Really."

"Yes. Much more sophisticated than our prisons here."

Wes watched as his father's eyes glowed, the more he talked about the alliances and the satellite prison owned by Andros' home planet KO-35. It was as if there was something his father wasn't telling him, hadn't told him as of yet, as if something would be changing very soon. Change. That was the big thing Andros had talked about, within five years everything here would be changed, and dramatically, in a short amount of time. It didn't seem possible to Wes, and it was as if these changes were already taking place.

"Dad, is there something you're not telling me?" asked Wes.

Collins' bright smile turned to a sudden frown, as if he had been caught off-guard. He sighed heavily. "Well I-"

"I am sorry to interrupt, but you have an important call waiting for you in your office, Mr. Collins."

"Tell them I'll call them back."

"I would sir, but it's a Mister Gunther Drew."

Collins fell silent, and Wes noticed the uncomfortable glance shared between his father and Philips. Something was up.

"Tell him I'll be right there."

Philips nodded his head and headed off to Collins' office.

Wes watched as his father stood up. "Dad, didn't a Gunther Drew used to work for you, one of your associates who oversaw the Venomark bite serum?" Wes had remembered the young man, late twenties-early thirties, recently married to a teacher, who had overseen the whole process of the treatment being created along with several scientists and the Silver Guardians and himself.

"Ah yes, that would be him."

"Didn't he leave Bio-Lab a year later, shortly after his daughter was born?" It had been a good three years since Wes had seen or even heard about Gunther Drew.

"I really need to take this call, Wes, we'll talk later," answered his father all too quickly, looking very uneasy and perhaps even frightened. He then quickly made his way out of the dinning room towards his office.

"What was all that about?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, Master Wes," said Philips, as he picked up Wes's dinner plate.

"The last time you told me that was when I was thirteen and a big merger with my father's company was taking place."

"Yes, you were thirteen and you needed not to be concerned about such things," replied the old butler.

"I'm not thirteen anymore, Philips."

_The boy was too smart for his own good back then, some things never change._ "No, you're not, but even so, this is between your father and Mr. Drew, so I suggest for the time being you stay out of it."

Wes was a little caught off-guard. Philips, for as long as he had known him, had never talked to him in that way, not with such a tone or harshness, but it wasn't mean, it sounded more protective, like Philips was protecting him from something, but what? What could an old butler and his father be protecting a grown man from? It just didn't make any sense.

* * *

Wes walked past his father's office as he was on the way to his bedroom, but the yelling and shouting in the room caught his ear.

"Yes, I understand the payments haven't been as much as normal, but this new development has been taking a lot of time and money…… Yes we still have our agreement, that hasn't changed….. No!... no I won't forget….please just give me time. This new project will benefit your daughter, as well as the rest. I can assure you of that… Yes I understand, that doesn't change our deal…. No he doesn't, he hasn't found the right-….. yes…. I know, I don't know what it's like…. Alright, goodbye."

"Payment? What payment?" Wes asked himself silently. Why would his father be paying Gunther Drew and what did Gunther's daughter have to do with any of it? What was going on here? And what others were his father speaking of? None of this was making any sense. What was going on that his father didn't want him to know about?


	3. Kept Secrets

_Planet Sirius _

"Ah Andros, how good to see you again, old friend," said Cruger as he welcomed Andros into his office, giving the young man a hug and patting him on the back.

"It is good to see you again too, Commander Cruger. It's been almost five years."

"Yes, it has been that long, hasn't it? Come, I'll show you around while your friends get settled in." Cruger led Andros out of the office and the two started walking around the base. "Safe journey, I presume?"

"Yes. We had no problems getting here at all."

"Good. Good. Over the past few months we have had trouble with an alien known as Grumm, and his General, General Benaag. Have you heard of them?"

Andros shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"That's good. I hope you never have to cross paths with either one of them. They're the worst of their kind, destroyed many planets." He turned to Andros. "One of them being the home world of Dr. Kat Manx, Tygrigia. How is she by the way?"

"She's fine, fitting in quite well over the past four years." He sighed. "Although it sometimes is hard for her not to show her true form, but hopefully within the next five years that will all change."

"She's still working at Bio-Lab, correct?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact I saw her the other day. She told me to tell you hello."

"Be sure to send her my regards."

"I will."

"How are the negotiations going with your home world and Earth?"

"Going well, and even as we speak negotiations are being made between Earth and Mirinoi; once that is finished we'll be ready to partake in setting up alliances with Sirius, assuming you still want to…"

The old dog nodded his head. "Yes of course. The more the alliances, the better. And with setting up the academy in all locations, the better the communications."

"Yes," replied Andros.

"Now this Collins man you speak of. He wants to fund the academy on Earth by expanding his Silver Guardians to become Space Patrol Delta, as well as his company?"

"Yes. He has already signed most of the papers. He just needs to go over it with his son, Wesley Collins, who will one day take over."

"Ah yes, Wesley Collins. I've heard a lot of good things about him, good man, good ranger, fought beside some of the best of the best rangers." Cruger turned to Andros. "Now, he was your second choice in recruiting for one of our squads."

Andros nodded his head. "Yes, my first choice turned down the offer. And actually he himself suggested Wesley Collins. A year ago he had fought alongside Wes, saying he's a great ranger and man. I had only teamed up with Wes once a couple of years ago, knowing very little about him."

"Have you talked to Wesley about this offer yet?"

"No. I have a meeting with him next week; his father is already aware of the offer. Right now Wes knows very little of what is going on, all he knows is the Silver Guardians are expanding."

"I find it difficult to understand why a father would leave his son, heir to his company, on the sidelines."

"He has his reasons," stated Andros softly. It had only been close to a month since Andros learned of the dark secret that Mr. Collins had been keeping top secret over at Bio-Lab for a little over four years.

"Hmm?"

Andros stopped and faced Cruger. "Which brings me to one of the main reasons for my visit. Dr. Manx is already aware of the situation and I need to bring it to your attention. It's also the reason Mr. Collins has not told his son of what will be happening."

"I see." Cruger made a quick decision. "I believe we can find a secure location to talk in private about this."

"Thank you, sir," Andros replied as he followed Cruger to one of the unused rooms.

* * *

Mr. Collins sat at his desk going through four packets of papers, each of a different client. He looked tired and concerned as he read through the packets. He had read over them a hundred times and every time it was the same. Nothing had changed. It seemed to have gotten worse with each passing year, first in 2001, then in 2002 and soon after, two instances in 2003.

Collins set the packets aside and grabbed a hold of a smaller packet with the name Samantha on it. Unlike the other packets, little information was on the paper, just an out-dated photo ID of a young red-headed girl, her date of birth October 7th, 1983. The only information the piece provided said she was a student visitor. Back in 2001 she had come to Bio-Lab as a school graduation project, to look over some research. She had been lucky enough to be there that day, that horrible day when Silver Hills was in danger. She had been in the lab when the serum had been created, although unknown by her, that wasn't all that was done that day. She had witnessed the top secret research RM104.

He reached for his telephone. "Hello Dian."

_"Yes, Mr. Collins?"_

"Were you able to find anything about her?"

_"No, without a last name it's nearly impossible. And the school is refusing to release any records."_

"Did you tell them it was important, a matter of life and death?"

_"Yes, but it didn't matter. I am sorry, sir."_

He sighed heavily and stared down at the photo of the young woman, having no clue what her future could bring her. And he had no way of telling her. "So am I."

_"Is there anything else I can do for you?"_

"No, that will be all for today. Thank you." He hung up his phone.

He was getting too old for this. It shouldn't have come to this. This should have never happened, but it had and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't even warn this young woman and try to stop her. It just wasn't fair, like Gunther had said. He had no idea what it was like for him or the other families.

He heard a knock on his door. "Come in."

The door opened. "Hey, Dad." Wes stepped in.

Caught off guard, Collins jumped to his feet, grabbing the packets of papers in a hurry. "Wesley!" He hurried quickly over to his safe that was on the wall and put the papers inside.

Wes looked at his father suspiciously. First the strange phone call and now this. What was going on? His eyes then fell onto a disk on his father's desk. "Hey, what this?" He started to reach for the disc.

"It's nothing." Collins got to the disk before Wes even had a chance to touch it. Wes looked at his father oddly, this wasn't like his Dad at all. "I'm sorry. I know I've been acting strange lately." He made his way back over to the safe and placed the disk inside with the packets of paper. "But it's just with everything that's been going on. You know how it is."

"No I don't, not really." Wes was starting to get annoyed with being left out of the loop. He'd even called Eric the other day asking him if he knew anything, but he was just as, maybe even more clueless than Wes was. "What's going on, Dad? I know you're hiding something from me. Just tell me what it is?"

Collins sighed and turned to face his son. "You're right, I am keeping something from you." He paused for a moment. "I was just wondering how you felt about possibly moving our main location to NewTech City. We would still have this location in Silver Hills, but our top offices and mainframe would run from NewTech City,"

That was it? This was what his father had been keeping from him? "I think it's fine." He eyed his father closely. "Is that it?"

"Yes of course." It really wasn't a lie. That was one of the things he needed to discuss with Wes. It just wasn't the main thing, maybe even the most important thing, but he knew he had to tell Wes something. At least this would provide him with a little time to figure things out, to prepare for when he did come out and tell Wes what was really going on. "Come on, I'll take you out to dinner." Collins then led his son out of his office. Wes looked over his shoulder, looking over at the safe, and he exited his father's office wondering what was in those packets and what was on the disk.

* * *

"I understand, and as their parents' wish I will make sure this is kept top secret until the time is right," announced Cruger. "When they're old enough."

"Thank you, sir."

"You know for sure there are four, and possibly could be a fifth in the near future? What about Wesley Collins, does he have any?"

Andros shook his head. "No, as far as I know, no he doesn't."

Cruger nodded his head. "I see. Well, very good, thank you for bringing this to my attention. Perhaps in due time, we can make some light out of this tragedy."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Andros sighed. "But still, those poor parents. It's not going to be easy."

"I feel sorrier for Mr. Collins, such a burden he must carry." Cruger sighed heavily. "You be sure to tell Mr. Collins not to worry about a thing any longer, from here on out I'll handle this situation."

"I'll be sure to do that, sir."

"Well, I should be letting you head back and join your friends, even leaders need to rest too." He patted Andros on the back.

"Yes, sir." Andros started to head towards the room where the others were staying, but looked back to Commander Cruger. "Oh, I almost forgot. Commander Cruger, please give my regards to your wife, Aisynia."

"I will do so, and the same to yours. I'll see you in the morning, my friend."

* * *

_"Jen."__ Wes ran into her arms. "I thought I'd never see you again," cried Wes wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Please don't leave me, not again."_

_Jen pulled away slightly, looking into his eyes, tears running down her face. "Wes..."_

_"What? What's wrong?" A great and utmost feeling of fear came over him._

_She started pulling away from him. "Promise me…Promise me…."_

_"Jen, don't go!"_

_"Promise me….."_

_She was drifting further and further away from him. "Promise you what? Jen! Jen!" _

"Jen!" Wes jumped up in a cold sweat, his heart racing. He ran his hand over his face. "A dream," he sighed. It had only been a dream. Jen wasn't here. She had never even been in this room. No, their room, their special place, had been back at the cabin, but that was a year ago. She was gone, back with Alex. He hated the thought of her being with Alex.

He had done all he could to try to forget her, but he couldn't. He loved her too much, but it hadn't been enough. It would never be enough. He looked at the clock on his night stand, it was only two in the morning; he still had five hours until he had to go into work. Even as he sat there in bed he slowly could feel the dream drift away from his mind and out of his thoughts; feeling tired he sank back down into the bed and let sleep take over once more.


	4. Wes's Problems

Wes slowly slumped into the dining room where his father was eating breakfast.

"Wesley, is everything all right?" asked his father, setting the newspaper off to the side.

"Huh?" Wes, still lost in his thoughts, sat down slowly. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a dream. It's nothing. Really."

"About Jen again?" asked his father. For the past few weeks Wes had been having reoccurring dreams about Jen, always the same thing, her coming to him, hugging him, something seemed very wrong, she wasn't herself and then always asking him to promise her, but never saying promise her what.

"Yeah," he answered dryly as he poured himself some cereal.

"Same one as the others?"

"Yeah."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Wes played around with his cereal, not feeling really hungry as his depression slowly began to sink in once again. He should be over it by now, that's what he kept telling himself, but he just couldn't and these dreams weren't helping. He only wished he knew what they meant, or maybe if they would just go away he could move on with his life. "I'm going to go head into work."

"Wes, it's Saturday, your day off."

"I know. But I have a lot of work to do, don't want to get behind." He started to get up.

"It can wait till Monday. Why not take the weekend off, go up to the cabin, see Tommy," urged his father.

"Nah, I'm not really in the mood. I'd rather stay home."

Collins sighed. He stood up and walked up to Wes and gently patted him on the shoulder. "You can't keep doing this to yourself son. It's not healthy."

Wes nodded his head. "I know. It's just…I-I don't know."

"What would Jen want you to do?" His father left him with that as he headed out of the dinning room.

Wes sighed heavily. She would want him to move on, but he was having trouble doing that. He just couldn't see himself with anyone else.

* * *

"Hey, big brother." Karone walked up to Andros and wrapped her arms around him. "So, you come to take me home?"

"That is the plan. Still assuming you were able to finish the negotiations." Andros stepped back as one of Mirinoi's elder leaders walked forward along with Mike Corbett and his brother Leo.

"The negotiations went well, Andros. Your sister, along with the inhabitants of the planet Earth, were very convincing that this will do a great deal for my home world, as well as yours. We are very grateful." The old man smiled.

"And it did help that your sister has her way of getting people to do what she wants," Leo put in.

Andros chuckled at that. "Putting on the old Astronema charm, huh, Sis?"

"Once a girl in charge, always a girl in charge."

"Well, I'm sure Zhane will be pleased to know that."

"Is he here? It's been forever since I last saw him." Ever since she had joined Leo and his team back in 1999, she had remained with them, keeping in close contact with her brother and then when he called her to represent KO-35 to set alliances with Mirinoi she had decided to stay until the arrangements were made.

"No. He's back on KO-35, on our way back to Earth we'll be picking him up."

"That's great. And the others?"

"Are back on the ship, happily awaiting your return," finished Andros. "Are you all set?" Andros knew that it would be hard for his sister to leave this place after being here for a little over six years. She had made a lot of friends, a lot of good memories.

"Yeah." She turned to Mike and hugged him. "Take care, Mike. And look after Leo for me, keep him out of trouble."

"Hey, now," laughed Leo. "I don't get into that much trouble."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Mike kissed her on the cheek. "You take care too, and thank you for all your help."

"Don't mention it." Karone then turned to Leo. "Well, I guess this is it."

"Yeah." Leo smiled faintly. He and Karone had grown close for the past six years, but nothing had ever come of it. She was and always had been in love with someone else, but it was no lie that both of them cared a great deal for each other, something that went beyond friendship. "Goodbye, Karone."

For a long moment she looked him in the eyes, smiling, tears going down her cheeks. She leaned forward and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye Leo." She then turned away, waving goodbye, and then headed towards the direction of the ship.

"Well, it was good seeing you guys again. And thanks for looking after her for me."

"It was no problem. You helped us out big time with the Psycho Rangers. Take care of yourself, Andros." Mike shook Andros' hand and then patted Leo on the shoulder before leaving and heading back towards the village.

"It was you, wasn't it? You sent her to us, after what happened to Kendrix," Leo said.

"I told Karone what had happened. She wanted to help, make up for all the bad things she had done. So I guess in a way I sent her, but it really was her own decision." Andros smiled faintly. "You love her, don't you?"

He grinned. "I don't know. I'm not sure what I feel. Love, strong friendship, a little of both." Leo bit his lip. "This guy Zhane, good guy, right?"

"Yeah. One of the best. If he wasn't, there's no way I'd let him anywhere near my sister."

Leo laughed. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. For a while anyway."

"Yeah. See yah around Leo." Andros started heading towards the ship to join the others.

"Be sure to tell the others I said hi!"

"I will."

Leo stood alone, watching as Andros got on board the ship and flew off into space. "Goodbye Karone, I wish you well."

* * *

"Okay, what's wrong?" Tommy asked as he walked down his porch and sat down next to Wes. Wes had arrived over an hour ago, not saying very much and had just sat down on his porch. "Other than the obvious."

"What do you mean?" asked Wes as he played with a stick, moving it around in the dirt.

"You've been here over an hour and said no more than two words."

"Oh." Wes tossed the stick, sighing. "A lot of things I guess. My dad, I think he's hiding something from me, both him and Andros. And then I've been having these dreams about Jen-"

"Oh, of Jen, huh." Tommy grinned.

"Not those kind. I think you've been hanging around Conner too much."

Tommy laughed. "Sorry, couldn't resist, just trying to lighten the mood."

Wes smiled faintly. He wasn't even sure why he was here. He had just started driving and ended up here. Maybe it was because he had nowhere else to go. Maybe it was because Eric was in Michigan with Hayley. Maybe it was because Tommy was the only one that would understand.

"So Andros has been seeing a lot of your dad lately."

"Ah yeah, working together expanding the Silver Guardians, and about the alliances between the other planets."

"Yeah. Andros told me a little of what was going on. Pretty intense."

"What do you think of all these alliances?"

"I think it's a good thing. Most of the people I know who were from other planets are all good people. Don't you think it's a good thing?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just a lot to take in." Wes sighed. "I haven't been in the best of moods, so that's probably affecting my feelings towards this."

Tommy gripped Wes's shoulder. "Hey, things will get better, believe me they always do. It does hurt, but you've got to move on."

Wes nodded his head. "How was her- wedding?" asked Wes, knowing recently the girl Tommy had, and still, loved with all his heart had gotten married.

"It was nice. We even danced together."

"Is he a good guy?"

"Yeah. Can't really say anything bad about him." And he couldn't, Kim had married a good decent guy, a guy Tommy couldn't help but like. He was kind, generous, and so in love with Kim. Still, Tommy couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, wishing it had been him she married, but it probably was only natural he felt that way. After all, she had been his first love.

Wes nodded his head. "Did Jen say anything to you, you know, after I left?" It was a question he had been wanting to ask for a year, a question he was afraid to ask, afraid of the answer.

"No. After you and the others left, she kept her distance, was real quite. I didn't even get to say goodbye to them; when I woke up both she and Alex were gone. Must have left sometime during the night."

"Oh." Wes bit hit lip, nodding his head. "Well, I-I think I should be going, it's getting late."

"Why don't you stay, we can catch a movie." He gripped Wes's shoulder. "Have a guys' night out."

"Nah." Wes got up and started towards his bike. "Thanks though."

"Drive safely, Wes. And if you ever need anything give me a call."

"Thanks. See yah around, Tom." Wes hopped onto his bike and drove off.

Tommy watched as Wes drove out of sight. "Hang in there, Wes."

* * *

He felt himself overwhelmed with memories as he walked into his room, their room. This had been the room they shared, while they stayed in the cabin. That was a year ago, and he hadn't been here since. He could almost catch her scent, hear her voice whisper his name. "Jen…"

_"Put me down this instant Wes! We have a lot of work to do," she tried to be serious, but it failed with a laugh. "Or else!"_

_He carried her into his room, kicking his door shut. "Or else what?" He dropped her onto the bed, just staring into her face, smiling brightly, love shining in his eyes._

_She smiled brightly at him, looking into his face. "Stop that."_

_"Stop what?" He lay down next to her, staring into her face, gently stroking her cheek._

_She held his hand next to her cheek. "Looking at me like that."_

_"Like what?" He kissed her gently on the lips. "Like I love you more than anything?"_

_She felt it as he pressed his lips against hers. "Working on your charm again, huh?"_

_"Is it working?" He pulled her into his arms, holding her lovingly._

_"Maybe."__ She turned around in his arm, staring into his face and kissing him gently on the lips…_

The memory soon faded away and Wes realized he was alone. He sighed heavily as he walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, hoping to leave behind his haunting memories.


	5. 2001 Accident

Collins placed the disc into his computer and waited for it to load up. Within seconds a video image appeared on his screen. On the video screen the year 2001 appeared. He wasn't sure how many times he had watched it. Ten times? Fifty? A hundred, maybe? He always hoped it would be different, that what he saw didn't happen. But no matter how many times he watched it, the results were always the same.

_They weren't even sure if it was possible. They were all pioneers, going into unmarked territory of research, hundreds of years ahead of their time. _

Of course, no one knew it at the time.

_The sample had been so little, but they had to try, they couldn't let all those people die._

Mr. Collins sighed heavily, seeing the deep concern in his son's face. Concern that it wouldn't work, that it wasn't enough, that it might already be too late. That his friends would die, that _she _would die. Even then Collins knew his son cared very deeply for Jen, perhaps even before Wes had ever admitted it to himself.

_Wes stood in front of one of the Silver Guardians, overseeing the research. While the scientist worked to try to recreate the sample, the serum that would hopefully cure the deadly bite._

Collins knew all the faces, maybe even more than he wanted, as if each and every one of them was imprinted into his mind.

_One being Gunther Drew, one of his young associates who had decided at the last minute he wanted to be part of something that could have wondrous results. _

_Lance Landers, a young man a little older than Wes. Landers was a rookie Guardian, who came from a fairly poor, but religious family. He and his pregnant wife were planning on being missionaries and the Guardian job was only for the short term until enough money was made._

_The others were a scientist, Colin Carson, and his soon- to-be wife, Beth Bridges, along with Heather Zanders who recently had gotten engaged to a Chris Delgado._

_Then top scientist Kat Manx was overseeing the project, even though she had been there a little less than a year. She had become known as one of Dr. Zaskin's top researchers. Very little was known about her, it was like she had dropped out of nowhere, had no family or even previous job contacts. She said she had lost everything in a fire._

_And last but not least, a high school senior; all anyone knew about her was her name, Samantha. _

Collins watched as his son…

_Wes leaned closer to the table, watching as they mixed compounds and products together. He was totally unaware of what else was going around him, due to his deep concern for his friends._

Looking back, Collins hated himself for it, how he used his son, so wrongly. It was devious and sickening and he wouldn't blame Wes if this ended up ruining their relationship.

_While Wes wasn't looking, __Carson__ ran a scan over his morpher, gathering information, with a scanner with large amounts of high frequencies. Then something happened, the room began to shake and the lights flashed._

_"Everyone, stay calm, it's just an earthquake," Kat told them._

_Somehow some of the formula had spilt onto Wes's morpher without his knowing, and with the scanner going over Wes's morpher a surge of energy went through the room, leaving everyone stunned, but it quickly wore off as if nothing had happened. _

_Kat looked at all of them oddly, almost sensing as if something was not right; something had changed, but what?_

Collins switched off the video image. Due to his always wanting more back then, this had happened. This was what had caused the changes. This was what had changed their lives.

He sighed heavily, going over Landers' packet, of his son Jack who was now four and a half. Even though he had been conceived long before the incident, his father's sexual contact with his mother still caused him to be _different_. The Landers learned very early that there was something very different about their son; a day which Collins knew would remain in their memory forever.

Jack, one year old and already walking, learned very quickly that he was able to walk through anything. He nearly gave his mother a heart attack when she was cooking in the kitchen. She turned around just for a minute and watched as her son walked through a wall. Once Lance got home and he saw with his own eyes what his son was capable of, they rushed him to the hospital, but nothing was found wrong with him. He was perfectly healthy.

That's when they brought him to Bio-Lab to go through testing, but again nothing was found wrong. No one could explain why the little boy could go through things.

But that all changed a few months later. Gunther Drew and his wife's daughter Sydney was born. Just hours after she was born, her parents noticed something not quite right with her. When they held her in their arms, her hands clutching onto the blanket, they watched, frightened, as her little hand turned into the blanket material. The doctors didn't know how to explain it.

When it was brought to Collins' attention a couple of months later, he feared the worst, that somehow it was all connected to that _day_. He would be proven right a year later, in 2003, when two more children were born.

The Carson's son, Bridge: no one could tell right away what his powers were. But when he was one, somehow a deadly snake had gotten into his bedroom. He yelled for his parents, saying, "Snake! Snake! Daddy, don't let it bite you!" His father found it odd that his son could speak so well, and then he heard the slithering behind him. It was the snake, moving quickly he grabbed his son and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him. It turned out that Bridge had some psychic powers.

Then there was Elizabeth Delgado, the most frightening of all. The parents were told long before the birth that they were having triplets. But when the time came only one would come out, the other two were like ghosts. Their hands would go right through the children. It turned out the other two were fakes.

With four children of parents who had worked for him, and all the children had some type of abnormal power, Collins knew they were all connected to that one day. When he brought it forward, of course they were all furious, most so the Drew family. So Collins then began to make deals with them, although the Landers and Delgado families wanted very little to do with him. After a few months they disappeared, staying in little contact with Collins and the others. As for the Drew family, they threatened to sue Collins, unless he would pay a large amount of money to them monthly. Collins agreed and offered the same to the Carsons, but they turned down the offer, feeling in a way it had been their fault too, they should have been more careful.

A little more than two years had gone by. But a day hadn't passed that he hadn't thought of those children. What would their lives be like? How would they turn out? Would they be accepted and not treated like freaks?

Jack, whose genetic power was molecularization, able to go through solid objects.

Syd, whose genetic power was elements, she was able to turn her hand into any material she touched.

Bridge, whose genetic power was psychic sensitivity, able to sense energy and sometimes even future events.

And then Elizabeth or 'Z', whose genetic power was replication, able to create nonliving doubles of herself.

But their parents weren't the only ones affected by this; there was still Samantha, who he had been unable to locate. And then there was his own flesh and blood, his son Wes, who had no idea that his DNA had been changed. There were days Collins considered it a blessing that Wes hadn't settled down, had children, but then there were the days when he knew that was all Wes desired, but of course he knew who his son wanted to be married to and have a child with, and that it wasn't possible. It wasn't going to happen.

His phone began ringing.

"Yes, Dian."

_"Dr. Manx is ready for you."_

"All right, tell her I'm headed down to the lab now."

* * *

_Distant future _

A young boy stood outside a bedroom door, listening as his parents spoke to each other. There was much distress going on, even at the young and tender age of five he understood that something was gravely wrong. But his parents had always acted as if everything was fine and that he shouldn't worry so much. But he wasn't blind, something was wrong and that scared him more than anything.

"You have to promise me you'll get him to him, no matter what," the boy's mother pleaded. "Please."

"I will. Don't worry. I promise, no matter what." There was a short pause. "But you do know what will have to happen, in order for me to do so." His father's voice was soft and saddened.

The boy waited and listened for his mother to answer. He had no idea what they were talking about, but only guessed that in some way it concerned him. "Yes. I know…. It's the only way. I just wish I could be the one to help him understand."

"I know. I'll tell him, help him understand everything," the boy heard his father reply.

"Thank you, for everything. If it hadn't been for you, none of this would have ever been possible. I owe a lot to you."

"You don't owe me anything. I'm always here for you. I'm just sorry it has to end this way." There was a short pause. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. It's time," she answered softly, her voice weak. The boy could tell his mother was crying. He hated it when she cried; many nights he would wake up and hear her crying and could hear his father consoling her.

"Son, it's time to come in now," he heard his father call his name.

"I'm coming," he answered softly, as he slowly walked into the bedroom. But something was different this time. He had walked into this bedroom hundreds of times with no problem, but this time felt different, this time felt scarier, because for some reason he felt this would be the last time he would ever set foot into this very room. Once he was in their bedroom he gently closed the door behind him.


	6. Robotic Interactive Canine

"Hello. Anyone here?" asked Wes as he walked into one of the lab rooms. Ever since Dr. Zaskin had left, Dr. Manx had taken over his spot. "Dr. Manx?" called Wes, searching around the room, but she was nowhere in sight.

He walked around the room, looking at several projects his father had her working on. Most of which were just paperwork right now, which was something Wes wasn't too fond of, but he figured he would have to start at least being interested in it. After all, one day this would all be his.

On her desk he noticed a folder of papers. He walked over to it and took a seat. He wasn't trying to be nosy, but something caught his eye, on one of the papers the word 'morpher' in bold. He pulled the paper out and began scanning it.

His father was having her study morphing technology and some of the information was based off the Quantum morpher, as well as his own. Along with information that appeared to be provided by Andros, on the technology of his team's morphers, as well as a few others. "What the hell is going on?" As far as Wes knew he had never disclosed any information on his morpher.

_BARK._ Wes jumped, just barely missing the laser blast that nearly grazed his shoulder. "What in the world?" Wes couldn't believe his eyes; a robotic machine that appeared to look like a dog was standing in front of him. The robot dog was now growling at Wes, then it walked up to Wes's feet and peed on him. "What the hell?"

"It's only kool-aid." Kat came walking in. "Bad dog, RIC," RIC then crawled away from Wes and went into a corner.

"RIC?" asked Wes.

"Robotic Interactive Canine," announced Kat.

"Oh." Wes nodded his head, now understanding where the dog got its name. He shook the blue juice off of his black boots. "Quite a personality he has."

"Yes, there are still a few bugs that need to be taken care of. He'll come in very handy with the Academy." Kat turned to look at her masterpiece of work, or at least partly hers.

"Academy?" asked Wes. Was he the only one around here who had no idea what was going on?

Kat turned to him questioningly. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Wes glared at her, finding it hard to read her face. Wes shook his head. "Never mind the Academy. You're researching morpher technology based on mine and Eric's morphers, along with another set of morphers?" he questioned.

Kat then saw the folder open on her desk and looked to him. "Yes. At your father's request; didn't you know?"

The way she said it made it as if she had thought he had known about this. "Ah yeah." He smiled. "Must have forgotten." Why would his father keep this from him? Did his dad still think he was lazy and didn't care what was going on at Bio-Lab? "I better go. See yah later Dr. Manx, sorry for troubling you." He started to head towards the door.

"Ahh!" Kat felt a strong pain in her head.

Wes turned around, concerned. "Dr. Manx, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded her head. "Yes."

Wes smiled faintly and headed out of the lab. Once Wes was gone, Kat's appearance suddenly changed into something cat like, a half cat, half human. She heard RIC starting to whimper. "It's all right, RIC, you can trust him, after all." She turned to him. "You were created from his imagination."

She then went over to the cabinet on her desk. She opened it up and took out a greenish looking liquid and drank it. In seconds her cat-like features were gone.

_1983_

_Little Wes sat close to his mother on the couch watching as she drew out a sketch drawing of a futuristic mechanical dog. Wes was six, eager and pleased to watch his mother. _

_"Yeah, that's how it goes." _

_Andrea smiled, she had always enjoyed this alone time with Wes. "You have some imagination, kid-o." She leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek._

_"Do you think Dad will let me have a dog now? I bet he wouldn't get allergic to this dog." _

_"I bet you're right, sweetie."_

_"Can you build him, can you Mom, please?" Wes looked up to her, all wide-eyed._

_"Of course I will, but it might take a while, can you wait?" she asked._

_"Yeah!" he cheered._

_She laughed. "What should we call him?"_

_"I don't know. You pick, you always pick out the best names."_

_"All right. How about RIC?"_

_"RIC?" He thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I like that. Thanks Mom, you're the best!" Wes hugged his mother tightly, and she returned the hug, holding him close to her.

* * *

_

"Come in," announced Mr. Collins at the sound of someone knocking on his office door.

Dr. Manx entered the room. "Mr. Collins."

"Dr. Manx, I wasn't expecting you today. I thought we had gone over everything a few days ago."

"Your son came into my office today. He found the papers about the research on the morphers."

Collins looked slightly uncomfortable. "He did?"

"Yes." Kat stepped forward and took a seat. "I thought you said you were going to talk to him."

He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. "I know. Andros is coming at the beginning of next week. It was supposed to be this week, but he needed to take care of a few things on his home planet. I'll discuss it with Wes then. Tell him everything."

Kat sighed, nodding her head. "I know it's hard, but you can't protect him forever. He has a right to know."

"Yeah. Thank you for telling me." Collins got up and shook the doctor's hand. "I'll see you next week when we begin trial runs with the morphers."

"I'll be ready." Kat then started for the exit.

"I still don't understand though, how you didn't seem to be affected like the others."

Kat froze for a moment. "Lucky, I guess," and without another word she made her way out of his office.

* * *

"Hey Eric." Wes was lying on his bed talking into his cell phone. 

_"Hey Wes.__ How've you been?"_

"Okay I guess." Wes's voice was down in the dumps. He didn't know what to think anymore. First the thing with Andros, then Gunther, and now research on the morphers. What other secrets were his father hiding? What else didn't he know that was going on at Bio-Lab, and did he even want to know?

_"You okay, Wes?"_

"Ah, I don't know. Did you know my father is having Dr. Manx research our morphers, as well as a few others?"

_"No. I didn't know that. Do you know why?"_

"I was hoping you could tell me that."

_"Sorry Wes, but I'm just as lost as you are. The last time any research had been done on my morpher was back in 2001, at least to my knowledge anyways."_

"Oh," Wes sighed.

_"Wes, maybe I should come back home-" _

"No, no. I-I'm fine Eric. Really. Besides Hayley's transfer will be finished in a month or two and you'll both be back here."

_"You sure?__ Because I can come back now, if you need me."_

"I'm fine. Really."

_"Okay."_

"How is Hayley?"

_"She's good. She says hi and that she misses you."_

"Tell her the same for me." Wes paused for a moment. "So did you ask her?"

_"Yeah, last night.__ She said yes."_

"That's great man. I'm really happy for you."

_"Thanks. So will you be my best man?"_

"You bet, wouldn't miss it." Wes smiled on the outside. He was truly happy for Eric, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Eric had everything he wanted. Ironic, Wes thought; there was a time that Eric had wanted everything Wes had, friends, a father who loved him, a secure life. And now Wes would give that all up to have what Eric had. "Well, I should be going."

_"Yeah.__ Me too, talk to yah later, Wes."_

"Yeah. Bye, Eric."

_"Bye, Wes."

* * *

_

"How was he?" asked Hayley, walking over to Eric. She sat down next to him on their bed.

"He seemed okay," answered Eric, but he knew better. Over the course of their friendship Eric had come to know very well when something was not right with Wes.

"Jen?"

Eric shook his head. "I'm sure that's part of it, he didn't say it, but-"

"But he didn't have to," finished Hayley. It had taken a while for Wes to get back on his feet, to get better than just okay, but they all knew he still missed Jen very much, probably always would. "Did he say anything else?"

"I think he thinks his father may be hiding something from him."

"Is he?" asked Hayley, looking into Eric's eyes.

"I don't know, and even if he is, it would have to be with good reason." Eric knew Wes's father wouldn't keep anything from Wes, unless it was with good reason, either to protect Wes or because he didn't want Wes to become overly concerned.

Hayley wrapped her arms around him. "Maybe you should go back home. It sounds like he needs you."

"I asked him and he said no, that everything was fine."

"And how many times did you tell him everything was fine, when it wasn't fine?" Hayley asked as she kissed him on the cheek.

Eric smiled. "I guess you're right."

"Besides, we have the rest of our lives to be together," said Hayley as she lay down, taking Eric with her.

"Do you enjoy being right all the time?"

"Just as much as you enjoy being a pain in the ass," grinned Hayley as Eric leaned down and kissed her deeply on the lips.


	7. Remembering The Past

"Jen…" Wes tossed and turned in his sleep.

_"You may kiss the bride."_

_They were laughing and crying, overjoyed with happiness. They were finally together, as man and wife. Wes drew closer to Jen, leaning his face closer to hers, wrapping his arms protectively around her. Then his lips met hers in a passionate kiss filled with love. _

_"I knew you'd come back. I love you, Jen. I've never stopped."_

_Jen stared into his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Wes, I…I'm..."_

_"What?" Concern filled his eyes. "What's wrong?"_

_Jen started backing away from him. "Promise me!"_

_"Jen, where are you going? Promise you what?" He tried to get closer to her but she kept backing away. "I don't understand!"_

_"Promise me, Wes. Promise." Then she was gone, out of sight, nowhere to be seen. The bright blue sky turned to a darkish black, dark clouds started to form, rain poured down and thunder rolled._

BOOM! Wes jumped out of bed, heart racing. The thunder banged loudly against his window. Wes took a deep breath and slowly felt his heart beat going back to its normal pace. He slowly walked over to his window watching as the rain poured down hard. "What do you want Jen? What do you need from me?"

"I need you to promise me something."

Wes jumped once again, startled by the voice. He turned around and it was Jen, standing before him. "Jen?" he said, unsure of himself.

"Wes..."

"Wes, son." Mr. Collins shook his son. "Wake up. It's only a dream."

Wes's eyes flashed open. It was morning, his father's face staring down at him, concerned. "Jen?" Wes sat himself up and pulled the covers off. "Where is she?"

"Wes, it was another dream. Jen isn't here." He was starting to get very concerned about his son and these dreams he was having. Collins knew the dreams weren't helping matters for Wes to move forward and get on with his life. Which is part of the reason why he hadn't told Wes all of what was and would be going on. "Wes, I put in a call to Dr. Brown, I want you to go talk to him, about what's bothering you."

Wes interrupted his father. "Dad, I'm not sick. Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine. I don't need to go see some dumb doctor."

Collins gripped his son's shoulder. "But I'm concerned, Wes, these dreams, they're not normal. Please, just for today, talk to him and after that you don't ever have to talk to him again."

"All right," giving in into his father's deep concern for him, "If it'll make you happy, but on one condition."

"All right, go on."

"You tell me what's going on; tell me everything, the morphers, this academy, why you're paying Gunther Drew."

Collins hesitated for a moment, but knew he didn't have much of a choice. "All right."

* * *

"We all set?" asked Andros.

"Just about. There are only a few more boxes left," answered Zhane as more boxes were loaded onto the ship.

"Who would have thought a communication console would have so many boxes," complained Carlos as he and TJ set a large box down in the cargo bay.

"No kidding. I don't see why satellites couldn't be placed out in space, and we could use cell phones or something."

"Now boys, just think how this will help us when there are attacks in the galaxies," pointed out Karone, knowing having the communication devices and being able to stay in contact with all surrounding planets would come in handy, when there were attacks and when transferring people back and forth on missions and base placements.

"Yeah guys. This is a good thing," put in Cassie, who carried in one of the smaller boxes.

"And besides, this is for the academy. We don't need everyone and their brother making contact through space." Ashley brought in a large box.

"Hey careful," scolded Andros, taking the box from her. "You're supposed to be taking it easy."

"Andros, it's only been a couple of weeks."

Andros set the box down. "I know. I just want…"

"Hey, don't worry so much, you do that enough as it is." Ashley took his hands, smiling.

Andros smiled and leaned closer. "This is just all new to me."

She leaned closer. "It's new to me too." She kissed him softly on the lips.

"Is it just me or is it getting a little lovey-dovey in here?" announced Zhane.

Both Andros and Ashley blushed while the others laughed. "Come on guys, let's head on home," said TJ.

"Home." Karone smiled. Although Earth hadn't been the place she was born on, she considered Earth more of a home. She had been so young when she was kidnapped. She barely could remember ever living here, only little hazy memories, the little things Andros told her. But other then that she felt like a total stranger on KO-35.

Zhane wrapped his arm around her shoulder, smiling that charming smile she had always loved.

* * *

"So Wesley, your father tells me you've been having these dreams about your former girlfriend," started Dr. Brown, taking a seat in front of Wes, who was lying down on a couch.

"You know I really don't need to be here. They're just dreams, they don't mean anything."

"Your father thinks otherwise."

Wes laughed dryly. "He would."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Because he always thinks he knows what's best for me."

"Uh huh." The doctor jotted a few notes down. "Most parents usually do know what is best for their children."

"I'm not a child anymore. I'm a grown man."

"Who still lives in his father's home."

"Hey, I thought you weren't supposed to be judgmental. It's a big house."

"Right. Sorry." He wrote down a few more notes. "Tell me about your relationship with your father. Good, bad, in the middle..."

Wes sat himself up. "I thought we were supposed to talk about my dreams? How'd my father get into this?"

"Do you want to talk about your dreams?"

Wes paused. "No."

"Well then, we'll talk about you and your father."

"Great," muttered Wes.

"So?"

Wes sighed, taking a deep breath. "Our relationship now is a lot better than what it used to be."

The doctor started to take down notes. "When did it start getting better?"

"Almost five years ago. It happen after he was attacked by a criminal, protecting me. I guess he figured some things out, about both me and himself." Wes's voice became softer, as if haunting, hurtful memories that he thought he had forgotten had come back to him. "That maybe he could no longer tell me what to do, for my future anyway."

"I see. Had he always planned your future?"

"Not always. There was a time when he didn't." Wes bowed his head down. "Life was different back then. He didn't care about money or even worry about ever having enough."

"What changed?"

Wes looked up, frozen, as a memory flashed before his eyes. His mother screaming his name, the pouring rain, the bright lights, and then nothing.

"Wesley?"

Wes shook the memory away. "My mother and I were in a car accident. I was only eleven, still so very young. I needed her, but I guess life had other plans." He ran his hands through his hair. "When I woke up out of my coma, my father was there waiting for me, she was gone, and after that my whole life changed. A month later he sent me away to school. I had never been away before. I remember being scared out of my mind." Wes sighed heavily. "When I got back home for break, there was nothing left of her. He had changed everything, gotten rid of everything that reminded him of her…"

"Have you and your father ever talked about your mother since she died?"

Wes looked up, almost unable to answer the question. He wanted to say yes, that they talked about her all the time. That they hadn't forgotten about her, but the truth was... "No, we haven't," he answered softly, feeling almost ashamed of himself.

The doctor nodded his head and took down more notes. "I believe I may see a connection to this with your dreams. Care to hear it?"

"You're the doctor."

"Your father tells me in your dream, that your girlfriend drifts farther and farther away from you, asking you to promise her something, but she's out of your reach, just as your mother is out of your reach."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"When we lose people we really care about, sometimes for some of us it's too much for us to handle, so we drift away from those closest to us, wanting to push away whatever reminds us of the ones we lost. Your father, for instance, pushed away everything that reminded him of his wife." The doctor stopped for a moment, looking into Wes's face. "Including his own son. And you, you tell everyone you're fine, that you're doing okay, but the truth is you're not. That's why you keep busy at work, taking on more than you can handle and pretending that everything is fine."

"Pretty good assumption, but why is she asking me to promise her something?"

"That's a little harder. It could be in your sub-conscious mind that you feel that there is something you have to promise her; what that is I don't know."

Wes nodded his head. "So what now?"

"That's up to you. The only way for anyone to move forward is to talk, that's the only way things will get better."

"I don't know if I can. I haven't talked to anyone about my mother in so long, and with Jen, that's complicated. Only a few people would understand."

"Then I would talk to those few. And it's never too late to talk about someone who you haven't even thought of in years."

Wes didn't answer, just nodded his head. He had come in here thinking he'd only talk about his dreams, but more had come out of it. Perhaps he was his father's son after all. Both of them had lost people they cared about and loved more than anything.

* * *

Wes sat alone in the bar, looking down at his untouched drink. He had a lot on his mind. Thoughts of his mother, the something of a rollercoaster relationship he and his father had, the ups and downs of it. And then his thoughts of Jen, which in a way were similar to the relationship with his father. Just when they thought everything was looking up for them, it had all gone downhill.

It had been a big eye-opener for him, perhaps he should continue for a little while having visits with Dr. Brown. It helped, but of course he couldn't tell Dr. Brown the full truth about Jen, which could explain a lot if he did tell him. But there were those people he could talk to, he had just not been letting them in. Now he knew that perhaps he should talk about it, that maybe it would help him move on. He might not ever get over Jen, but he had to move on with his life and let go.

He smiled, a real smile, remembering the good times they had had together. He would never forget her. Perhaps that was why she was asking him not to forget her. That had been the one thing she had feared all those years ago, that he would forget her. But of course he could never do that. And instead of feeling sorry for himself, he started counting his blessings for the time he did have with her; although it was short, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. "To you, Jen. Thank you for everything." Wes then took a sip of his drink. It was time to move forward.


	8. SPD Academy

Mr. Collins sat along in his home office silently. He found himself opening one of his drawers and pulling out an old picture. It was of his wife and Wes, a little over sixteen years ago, that's how long it had been since he'd stared at this picture. It had been sixteen years since he had let her cross his mind. How could he let more than a decade go by while he hadn't thought of her? He had come close to thinking about her, back in 2001 when he restarted the building of the Raimei project, but back then he had been blinded by money, something he let himself be consumed by after her death. Perhaps it was to protect him from showing just how badly he was hurting.

Collins then heard someone walk past the entrance of his office. "Wes, is that you?"

"Ah yeah," a voice called back. A moment later he walked into his father's office. Wes watched as his father set the framed photo he had been holding face up on the desk. It was a picture Wes hadn't seen in years.

"How'd your visit with Dr. Brown go?"

"It went okay. Made me think."

Collins nodded his head. "Did it help?"

"Yeah. It helped a lot, made me realize some things."

"Good." Collins smiled and then looked back to the photo, he then handed it over to Wes. "I found this today, in my desk."

Wes stared silently at the photo, trying to see if she looked as he remembered her from all those years ago. "Mom." Wes smiled faintly and handed the picture back to his father.

"You're a lot like her, you know. Kind, caring, wanting to help others no matter what the risks are." Collins sighed. "I was just too blind to see it."

"Dad-" started Wes, knowing where this was headed.

"No, Wes. I was wrong to push you to do things my way, to change you."

"You've already apologized for that."

"Yes. But not for pushing you away when you needed me most. Your mother had just died and I sent you away." Collins sighed heavily. "I know that hurt you."

"But I'm okay. That was years ago, I'm over it. And I know it was hard for you too, you loved her very much, just as I…"

"Loved Jen." Collins smiled lightly. "I guess we have more things in common then we thought."

"Guess so."

* * *

Wes walked along the beach alone; feeling the cool breeze against his face, watching the waves hit the edge, and the sun beginning to set. It was so beautiful for a moment he was just lost in the scene and all his problems seemed to wither away.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Wes snapped out of his thoughts. He knew that voice from somewhere. He turned around and was face to face with someone he thought he would never see again. "Lisa?" It was Lisa, the girl he was supposed to marry, but just days before the big day he had called it off.

"Yeah. It's me, I was just passing by, and I saw your bike. Thought I might say hi. So, how you doing?"

"Oh, you know, same old same old." Wes shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah," Lisa sighed. "I hope you don't mind, but Eric called me a while ago and told me what happened. I'm sorry."

Wes nodded his head. Leave it to Eric to call his ex-girlfriend and tell her what had happened, although Wes suspected Hayley might have played some role. "Thanks."

"Want to talk about it?"

Wes remained silent for a moment. He really didn't want to talk about it, but he remembered what Dr. Brown had told him. The only way he would ever be able to move on was to talk about it. "Sure."

Lisa was blown away. She had never suspected the day would come for Wes to actually talk about what he was feeling. "Okay, let's go find a spot to sit down." The two walked over to some nearby rocks and sat down. "So?"

"I don't even know where to begin."

"How about at the beginning, when you saw her again."

Wes took a moment. This wasn't easy for him, talking about Jen, especially with someone who he at one time had been close to. "Well, I was overwhelmed. I wanted to take her in my arms and never let her go, but that's not what happened. I acted like I didn't care, said some cruel things to her, kept pushing her away. I was a jerk." Wes sighed. "I guess I was afraid to get close again, afraid to get hurt."

Lisa gently patted Wes on his shoulder. "I'm sure she understood that."

"Yeah. And even after all of that blew over and we ended up together, she never brought it up, like it was forgotten." Wes sighed heavily. "But then why end it, why go back to him?"

"Do you truly believe she went back to him? That that was the reason?"

"Yes…No," he sighed. "I don't know." He faced Lisa. "Something was wrong. There was something she wasn't telling me, something she was hiding. And it all happened after her talk with Alex, I even asked her, and she said it was him."

"Did she ever actually say it was him?"

Wes thought about it for a moment. All he had asked her was if she still loved Alex, and she had answered, yes. But she never stated that that was the reason. "No. But, I-I don't know."

"Maybe someday you'll get your answer."

Wes smiled. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because she loved you. And there's always a reason behind our actions, just maybe there was a reason that she couldn't tell you."

"Yeah. And why couldn't she tell me? We told each other everything."

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "I wish I could tell you, but I just don't know."

Wes smiled faintly. It had helped a little, talking to Lisa; it didn't make all the pain go away but he was starting to feel better. "Thanks, for talking about this with me. It helped a little. I guess that means I can't beat Eric up for calling you."

Lisa laughed and was pleased to get a smile and laugh out of Wes. "That's what I'm here for. If there's ever anything, anything at all that you want to talk about, you know where to find me."

Wes nodded his head. "Thanks. I'll remember that."

"Well, it's getting late, I should start heading home." She kissed Wes gently on the cheek. "Take care, Wes. It was good to see you again."

"You too." Wes watched as Lisa walked up to her car and drove off into the night.

* * *

Collins sat at his desk, almost shaking and looking slightly stressed and worried. Today was the day when he and Andros were going to tell Wes everything. And nothing scared him more. He was afraid if he told Wes the truth about what he had done, that he might lose his son forever. If that happened, he couldn't blame Wes; Wes would have every right to be angry at him, maybe even hate him for it.

"Mr. Collins, it's good to see you again," said Andros as he walked up to Collins' desk.

"It is good to see you as well, Andros." Collins stood up and shook Andros' hand. "I presume everything went well," Collins asked as he sat back down.

"Yes. On both KO-35 and Mirinoi, the negotiations went fine. And Sirius isn't too far behind, as well as Tangar; the Tangarians are interested in becoming part of the alliance. Commander Cruger will be arriving on their planet in the near future to make arrangements."

"I see." Collins paused for a moment. "And what of the planets Eltar and Aquitar you told me about a few weeks ago?"

"Those planets have always been allies to both Earth and KO-35; arrangements are being set to make alliances between the others, as well as Triforia." Andros smiled. "So as you can see, Earth has many friends."

"Yes. I believe it does."

"So what time is he supposed to be here?" asked Andros.

"Any minute now," Collins sighed.

"Would you like me to tell him? Maybe it would be better coming from me."

"Thank you for the offer, Andros. But I believe I need to be the one to tell him."

Andros nodded his head. "I understand." Not a moment later the office door opened and Wes walked in.

"Wes, please sit down," announced his father, as he closed the door behind him.

Wes took a seat next to Andros. "Andros, you're back. How'd everything go?"

"Everything went fine."

"Good." Wes nodded his head and then turned to his father. "So, you guys are going to be telling me about what's going on?"

"Yes. I will let Andros explain the Academy part of it and then I will fill in the rest."

"Okay." Wes turned to Andros.

"All right. The reason I've been coming here back and forth and to other planets, is not only because of setting up alliances, but also for a military base of operations called Space Patrol Delta. Bases will be set up on all planets. It will also be a school for grades six and up. After they graduate they'll have the choice to remain with SPD and become a law enforcement officers."

"Hold on a minute. You want to change the Silver Guardians; to not only expand their law enforcement abilities, but also to become a military school?"

"That is the idea. We are also in the process of setting up special tech class, where age sixteen and above will be able to enroll and see if they've got what it takes to become part of these special operations classes. It's just in the beginning stages; we hope in a few years to start setting up these classes, so for now it will be training technology and law enforcement."

"Okay. But then, what does this have to do with me?"

"My team and I will become the first Class A ranger squad; our main purpose will be keeping the peace and assisting with other planets. But for our base on Earth, we need a ranger stationed, which is where you come in."

"Wait a minute; you want me to become a SPD ranger? But I already have ranger powers."

"As of right now, no one will be getting new ranger powers. Upgrades will be made to all of our morphers. Dr. Manx in the process right now of creating the first set of SPD morphers, but it may be a few more years until the project is complete. She still has a lot of information to cover that was gathered over the years."

"Okay, I get all that. But why me, why pick me?" That was one thing that didn't make any sense to Wes, there were plenty of others out there that he believed were ten times better than he was or would ever be.

"Well, for one, your father is helping fund this project. Two, you have the training and knowledge, and three, one of the best suggested you for the job."

Wes thought about it for a moment, knowing it couldn't have been Eric. Eric had known even less than he did about what was going on. That only left one person. "Tommy."

"Yes. I had gone to him and offered the position. He turned it down and told me to offer it to you. He said you're a good ranger, you put others before yourself, and you get the job done. That's exactly the kind of ranger we need." Andros looked directly at Wes. "So Wes, do you want the job?"

"I'll take the job, but I want Eric to play an equal role in this."

"Done. It will be good to have two rangers. You two will be in charge of training and hand selecting those to one day become the first to use the SPD morphers."

Wes nodded his head. So far, nothing too bad, just a little more responsibility on his part, which wasn't a bad thing. It might be a little overwhelming, but he was sure he would be able to handle it. "Okay. Sounds good." He looked to Andros and then to his father. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Mr. Collins."

Collins raised and waved his hand, assuring Andros he could handle the rest of this conversation. "Thank you Andros."

"Well, if that will be all I should be going. Dr. Manx needed to see me." Andros started to get up.

"Yes. She told me last week about a trial run on the morphers. Tell her I will be with her shortly."

"I will do so." Andros turned to Wes. "Wes, it was good to see you again."

"You too." Wes shook Andros' hand and watched as he exited his father's office. Wes was getting ready to do the same, until…

"Wes, wait, there's more. Something I should have told you a long time ago."

Something in his father's voice told Wes he wasn't going to like this. He slowly sank back down into his chair and looked at his father, feeling uncomfortable. "Okay." And Wes could see his father looked just as uncomfortable, maybe even more. "I'm not going to like what you have to tell me, am I?"


	9. Secrets Revealed

"You what!" Wes roared. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. What he was seeing, the video, the papers, everything. "I can't believe this!" Wes stood up and began walking furiously around the room. "Something that you did caused my morpher to change not only my DNA, but theirs as well, and messed up their kids' DNA, giving them powers which will affect them for the rest of their lives?"

"Wes please, calm down, you've been under enough stress as it is," urged his father, trying to calm Wes down.

"Calm down! You want me to calm down. Well I'm sorry, Dad, but you've pretty much screwed that up!" Although his behavior suggested he was angry, he was more hurt than angry. How could four years go by without his father telling him?

"Wes, please hear me out. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"What's that supposed to mean? That if this whole SPD thing weren't happening you weren't going to tell me?" When his father didn't answer, Wes got right into his face. "When were you planning on telling me, Dad? Huh? Before or after I had kids, or when little Wes Jr. started doing something abnormal?" Wes knew he was being somewhat irrational and childish, but at the moment he didn't care.

Collins bowed his head, sighing. "I'm sorry, son, I never meant for this to happen. The only reason I didn't want to tell you at first is because I didn't want you to feel responsible."

"Yeah. Well it's a little late for that. It was my morpher that caused the changes, so _I_ am responsible."

"Wes wait," Collins called after Wes, but only to have the door slammed in his face.

* * *

"Kat, how you doing?" asked Andros as he walked into the lab where Dr. Manx was working.

"Andros, it's good to see you." She walked up to him and gave him a hug. "I'm doing just fine, thank you. Did everything go according to plan?"

"Yes." Andros smiled. "Commander Cruger told me to tell you hello and sends his best." Andros' eyes then fell upon a morpher, lying on top of the desk. It didn't appear to be completely finished. "Is that one of the morphers?"

Kat nodded her head and handed it over to Andros. "Yes. The one and only. It's not finished, we still need to run a few more tests on it. It probably will be a few more years until I have the first set of morphers completed."

"That's great. So the information that Mr. Collins provided you from his wife's research, as well as his and my own, was helpful to you."

"Yes, very helpful. Mr. Collins' wife was a brilliant scientist. It's a shame she isn't here to see her work coming into place."

Andros nodded his head.

"Yes, she was," answered Collins, walking into the lab.

Andros turned around and right away could tell things with Wes hadn't gone well. "I take it Wes didn't take the news well."

Collins sighed and nodded his head.

"I'm sure he'll come around, just give it time," smiled Kat, knowing how hard this all was on Collins; just when he and his son were getting their relationship back on track, it all just seemed to fall apart.

"I'm sure you're right, Dr. Manx." Collins smiled faintly. "So now for the morpher, is it ready for a trial run?"

"Yes." Manx turned to Andros. "Andros, if you will."

"Right!" Andros nodded his head, as he placed the moprher around his wrist. "SPD red!" In a flash of light Andros felt the power running through his body. It was unlike anything he had ever felt, but it only lasted for a few seconds and he was quickly back in his civilian clothes.

"Hmm, not much of a lasting effect," Kat said.

"That was incredible. I never felt anything like it." Andros handed the morpher back to Kat. "Once you get this morpher running at full speed, it will be unbeatable."

"How long do you believe it will take you?" asked Collins.

"It took me almost four years to make this one. It could be a while until I have all five of the squad A morphers running at a hundred percent. Once those are finished I will begin working on a back up set of morphers and eventually the special project morphers,"

Collins nodded his head, understanding. "Very well. Good work, Doctor."

Kat smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Collins."

"Well, if that will be all, I should be on my way. Good day." Collins started to head over to the door.

"Wait, Mr. Collins." Andros looked to Kat and she nodded. "There's something you should know."

"Yes?" Collins stopped and turned around.

"You know how I've told you about the possibility of having other beings coming to live on Earth."

"Yes."

Andros glanced to Kat, nodding his head. Within seconds Kat transformed herself into her true form.

Collins' eyes widened in disbelief and shock; he was speechless. "You're an alien?" Collins looked to Andros. "You knew?"

"Yes." He nodded his head. "Kat's planet was destroyed. I and my team rescued who we could; there were very few. And at that time, there were very few who would take in drifters. We stationed whoever we could on all surrounding planets."

"So you brought her here, to Earth, to Bio-Lab?"

"Yes. I had believed that with her knowledge she could be very useful to your company. I am sorry for not telling you earlier on, but we were never sure if this placement would become permanent."

Kat stepped forward. "I am sorry, Mr. Collins. I should have told you a long time ago. I was just afraid if you knew-"

Collins raised his hand up. "No need to explain. I understand. And it's all right. I'm just grateful you told me now."

"So does that mean I can stay?"

"Yes, of course. After all, I can't afford to lose my top scientist." Collins smiled. After all it wasn't like he hadn't kept secrets, so why should he get upset when someone else did?

* * *

"Thought I might find you here." Eric walked around Wes, watching to make sure he didn't trip over any of the rubble, the remains of the clock tower.

"Eric, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay with Hayley until the transfer went through."

"You did. But I decided not to listen."

"As usual," muttered Wes.

Eric could tell that Wes didn't look too pleased to see him and he couldn't really blame Wes, after what his father had told him, but... "You know, you should really cut him a break."

"I knew it." Wes could feel his anger and frustration grow inside of him. "He called you and you're siding with him." He glared at Eric, angry. "I guess some things never change." Wes got up and started walking away.

Eric jumped to his feet and started towards Wes. "I'm not siding with anyone. I thought you knew me better then that."

"What do you want, Eric?" sighed Wes, turning around to face him.

"What I want is for you to cut your father some slack."

"Did he tell you what he did? What happened?" Wes couldn't believe this, he would have thought Eric would have sided with him, would have understood. "And you want me to cut him some slack."

"He's your father, Wes!" Eric glared at him in the eyes. "In case you have forgotten he's all you've got."

"Yeah, well, maybe he should have thought of that before." Wes just turned around and walked away.

Eric stayed back, not knowing what the next move would be, because part of him knew this wasn't something he could just fix with a few simple words. He had fought so many battles, and won them all with a few quick moves, but this time his quick moves and fast thinking wasn't going to fix this. He couldn't make Wes forgive his father any more then he could stop Collins from blaming himself. He was at a loss and wished that Hayley was here, but he knew even she couldn't fix this.

* * *

_Distant future_

Trip and Alex stared at each other in silence in the small apartment. "Make it a day to remember, Trip."

"Why do I get the feeling this is some kind of goodbye?" asked Trip, having a strange and worried feeling coming over him, a feeling of loss, of doubt and sacrifice.

Alex was silent. "I really have a lot of work to do, Trip. You should go catch up with them, have fun today, make memories."

Trip sighed and nodded his head. "We will…. I'm sorry." In that moment Trip finally understood everything, but he wouldn't let on that he did, and he knew why. And if he had to he too would keep this information from Lucas and Katie. The less they knew the better. The less anyone knew the better.

"Thank you for everything, Trip."


	10. Accepting and Forgiving

It was late out. He didn't want to go home. He didn't want to go anywhere near _him_. He felt feelings of betrayal, distrust, doubt and anger, all mixed up into one.

Wes wondered around aimlessly through Bio-Lab in its late hours, passing by the night cleaning crew and a few security guards. He ignored their curious glances, wondering what he was still doing here. He should have been home hours ago, but after his talk with Eric, he had taken off and returned here just before dark, not wanting to go home just yet.

He had nowhere else to go. The clock tower had been destroyed years earlier. He couldn't go to Eric's, not after their argument. He half thought about going to Lisa's home, but it was late and it just didn't seem right. He could stay at a hotel, but everyone in town knew his name and would wonder why the son of a millionaire was staying at their hotel. So he ended up here of all places. The very place that caused his problems, but also in different ways fixed his problems.

Wes walked into Dr. Manx' lab, sighing heavily as he sat on the ground leaning his back against the counter. He was overwhelmed with everything, the academy, SPD, morphers, missions, military law enforcement, DNA corruption. It all seemed too much for him to handle all in one day. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that RIC had wandered over to him, staring right at him. RIC then whacked Wes's hand with his nose.

"Oh, it's you, RIC right?"

RIC barked and his eyes lit up.

Wes smiled faintly, slightly amused by the robotic dog. "You know, when I was a kid I always wanted a dog, but I couldn't have one. My dad was allergic. My mom always said she'd get me one, but," Wes sighed, "she died." Wes hesitantly patted RIC on the head, feeling slightly weird about it, because he was a machine, but Eric seemed to think of the Q-Rex as being alive, so maybe it wasn't so weird after all. Besides, he was already talking to RIC like it was a living thing, so it was too late for feeling weird.

Wes smiled faintly, probably the first smile he had all day; suddenly all his problems didn't seem so bad. He felt at ease in the company of RIC. No worries, no problems, maybe that was because RIC didn't expect anything out of him, no pressure.

RIC then opened a compartment on its back and little blue ball jumped out and landed into Wes's lap. RIC barked. _Then again…_

"You want to play?" Wes picked up the ball and tossed it as RIC went flying after it and came back to Wes. Wes continued to play catch with RIC until Dr. Manx snuck up on him.

"Careful, he could go on for days."

Wes quickly jumped to his feet. "Dr. Manx, sorry I didn't know you were here."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's all right. After all, you are the heir to the company; you have every right to be here."

"Yeah," Wes sighed. RIC returned to his side, ball in mouth. "We'll play later, okay?" Wes then watched as RIC walked into the back room.

"Seems RIC taken a liking to you," smiled Kat. "He doesn't do that with just anyone."

"I guess." Wes shrugged his shoulders.

"Come here. I think this may be something you want to see." Kat led Wes into the back room where a bunch of blueprints were stored. She searched through a pile until she found what she was looking for. "Here." She handed the blueprint to Wes.

Wes opened it up and looked at the design. "It's the blue print of RIC."

"Yes. Look closer."

Wes continued to look it over, seeing if there was something he was missing. His eyes widened. In the right hand corner was a date, dating back a little more then twenty years ago, and his mother's name underneath it. "My mother? But how?"

"In the notes I was able to gather, she had stated that RIC was a special project." She looked into Wes's eyes. "For her son."

"Me?" Wes's eyes widened and then fell onto RIC. RIC was his, but….And then it came back to him. What his mother had told him, she never said she get him a dog. She had told him she would make him a dog, called RIC. He couldn't believe he had forgotten that, but he had been so young back then.

"There's a lot you don't know about your mother, Wes. The things she was working on before she died. What she and your father were planning." Kat bit her lip. "I believe your father was going to tell you that, but you took off before he could finish."

"Did you know?"

Kat sighed. "Yes I knew."

"So it affected you too, changed your DNA, like me and the others?"

"No." Kat shook her head. "It didn't affect me."

Wes looked at her, confused. How could she not have been affected when the rest of them were? "But how?"

"Because my DNA is different from yours and the others." She continued on when she saw the confusion in Wes's eyes. "I come from another world; my planet was destroyed. Andros and his team rescued me and brought me here."

Wes didn't know what to say. It was just one thing after another today: new-found information, almost too much to handle all at once. "What?" Wes shook his head, feeling like it could explode at any moment. "So you're not human?"

"No. I'm not, well, not fully anyway." Kat then showed Wes her true form. "I'm half feline." She appeared human, but catlike features showed through, pointed ears, catlike teeth and even hints of whiskers.

Wes was just blown away. He always thought there was something odd and off about Dr. Manx, but never suspected this. "Unbelievable!"

* * *

"Wesley. I was worried sick about you." Mr. Collins was in his robe as he walked out of his bedroom into the hall where he had heard Wes come up the stairs. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Wes sighed. "I didn't mean to worry you, everything's so messed up right now. I guess I may have overreacted."

"No." Collins sighed. "You have every right to be angry with me. And I wouldn't blame you if you never talked to me again."

"Dinner definitely would be quieter then usual," smiled Wes, laughing slightly.

Which his father took as a good sign, and laughed along with him. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humor."

"Yeah. I guess not." This was hard for him, forgiving his father, when he felt so angry, filled with hurt, but if there was one thing Wes had learned it was that he couldn't go through his life pushing his father away. They already had missed so much as it was.

"You want to talk about something, son?"

"Can you tell me about Mom? Kat mentioned a few things."

Collins smiled. "Of course." He patted his son on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go fix you a sandwich and we'll talk. How does that sound?"

"Sounds pretty good." Wes smiled as his father led him down the stairs. "Um, Dad, did you know that, um, Kat is-"

"Yes, she and Andros told me all about it today."

"You okay with it?"

Collins turned to his son. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Wes stopped for a moment, watching as his father walked into the kitchen. Perhaps Eric was right, maybe he should cut his father some slack; after all he wasn't the same man he had been back then. No one is perfect, even Wes had made his fair share of mistakes.

"Wes?" He heard his father call for him.

"Coming, Dad."

Over the next hours Wes listened as his father told him about his mother, what their original plans were and everything that had followed. Wes learned that the Silver Guardians were supposed to be started years ago. It had been one of the projects his mother had been working on before her death, that along with the Raimei. But that wasn't all she had been working on, she had been working on creating her own morphers, which was something Wes was having a hard time comprehending.

"But how? Where did she get the knowledge to even come up with that?"

"From a man named William Mitchell, your mother and he went to college together. William was training to be a fireman, but on the side was studying defense mechanisms. Together your mother and him found they could create something unlike anything anyone has ever seen."

"What happened?"

"Shortly after the believed death of his son, six-year-old son Ryan, back in 1986, he and your mother parted ways and eventually fell out of touch." Collins sighed, knowing that really broke his wife apart. She and William had been friends for so long. She had been there for him when his wife had died and wanted to be there for him after the loss of his son, but he pushed her away and she never saw him again. "Before that happened, we all used to be really good friends. You, Ryan and his sister Dana used to play together."

Wes's eyes widened. It had just been a few years ago that he had seen both Ryan and Dana. It wasn't until now that he had realized he had known them, at one time he and Ryan and Dana had all been good friends. "You know, I thought they looked familiar when they helped me and the rangers out. I just couldn't put my finger on it."

"You were a child back then, it's understandable. I haven't talked to William in years. The last time I spoke to him was after your mother passed on. The only way I knew his son had turned up alive was because of a newspaper article."

Wes nodded his head. "So this whole law enforcement defense industry was always supposed to happen."

Collins sighed. "Yes, it was. After your mother died I just couldn't continue. It hurt too much. But years later when Ransik and his gang of criminals showed up, I knew then this was the kind of thing your mother wanted to prevent, and you know the rest."

Wes finally understood everything. It all made perfect sense. The missing pieces had finally been put together. All of this was supposed to happen, the Silver Guardians were always meant to be, and soon they would become something that was so much more. Wes had to wonder, would all of this one day evolve into Time Force? He would never know for sure, but just maybe this had been his destiny after all.

* * *

"So you talked to your father?" asked Eric, leaning his back against his locker.

"Yep," answered Wes as he put his gear on.

"Worked everything out?"

"Mostly."

Eric nodded his head. "Uh huh. So you got anything else to say?"

"Okay. Okay, you were right." Wes laughed as he put his beret on. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yep. Feels good being right for a change."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it." Wes turned and grinned. "Because starting Monday I'm in charge of you."

"Uh huh, we'll just see about that, rich boy." Eric smiled. It was a slow process, but he was starting to see the old Wes come back.

"Come on, I'll race you to the truck, last one there buys lunch!"

"You're on. I missed breakfast today, so I could use a big lunch." And the two were off, running out of the locker room, down the hall and out the door to the garage where the trucks were parked.


	11. Return of an Old Friend

Wes and Eric sat out back on the porch under the night sky, having a couple of beers and just enjoying each other's company. They were just trying to relax after an exhausting day at work, most of which had been spent getting everything set into order for the new developments to begin, which would start taking place within the next few weeks. During that time Kat Manx would be able to go about in her alien form. Also at which time Mr. Collins would again make contact with the families of the special children letting them know what was going on and getting their word that they would follow through with the plans of one day sending their son or daughter to Space Patrol Delta.

"So you and Hayley, getting married," smiled Wes. He almost found it funny, the idea of Eric being married and settling down, starting a family. It seemed almost unreal.

"Yeah. Hard to believe, huh?" remarked Eric, who had never thought he would ever get married, let alone find a girl who would put up with him. Most times he scared girls off before they ever really got to know him, but with Hayley it was different. She had taken the time to get to know him, taken the time to find out he wasn't as bad a guy as some had thought.

"Nah. Hayley's a great girl." Wes took a swig of his drink. "And besides, you're not that bad of a guy. You may be a little headstrong."

"Uh huh."

"Arrogant, hotheaded, hot shot, pain in the-"

"Watch it!"

"Sorry." Wes laughed. "So you guys set a date?"

"Well, she wants to get married soon, maybe just a little after her transfer takes place."

"You guys going to have kids?"

The question caught Eric slightly off guard. "Kids?" The thought had crossed his mind a couple of times, but in all truth he had no idea of whether he'd make a good father. "We haven't really discussed that yet, but yeah. I guess we will."

"Hey. Don't worry too much about it. I think you'd make a great father. You were good with that little girl who used to live next door to you." Wes thought back to the several times when he had spied on Eric and found him talking to a little girl who lived next door. It just went to show that Eric wasn't the tough guy he made himself out to be.

"Yeah. I guess I would." Eric shrugged his shoulders, not thinking much of it. "So you and Lisa seem to have been spending a lot of time with each other." Eric didn't know if, when he called Lisa and told her what had happened, if that would be a good thing or a big mistake; not that he had much of a choice. Hayley basically talked him into doing it; it was either set Wes up on a blind date with one of her friends or call someone he knew who might be able to get through to Wes. And since Lisa had already known a little about Jen and the situation, it seemed like a better choice than getting someone else involved who wouldn't really understand.

Wes smiled faintly. "Yeah. I don't think it will ever get serious, not like before. I think we'll just be good friends." Even though he was moving forward, he wasn't quite ready for a relationship that went beyond a friendship.

"Does she know that?"

"Yeah. We talked about it and she knows I'm not ready for that kind of relationship." Wes paused for a moment and then turned to Eric. "So what do you think of Dr. Manx?"

Eric took a sip of his beer. "I always knew there was something weird about her."

Wes grinned and laughed, as he finished off his drink. "You would."

* * *

Collins sat at his desk, phone to his ear, staring at a sheet of paper with four different phone numbers and addresses on it: one for the Drew, Carson, Landers, and Delgado families. For Drew and Carson, both were marked 'complete' in red; but as for the other two, Landers and Delgado, they were marked 'unknown' in red.

"Yes, Gunther. The process will be starting soon. We should have it up and running in full by next year. All right, I'll be in touch." Collins hung up the phone.

"So. How'd it go?" asked Wes, stepping into his father's office.

"Fine. It seems Commander Cruger has been in contact with Gunther." Collins smiled. "I won't be sending any more payments to him."

"That's good." Wes walked over and sat down. "Were you able to get in contact with the others?"

"I did talk with the Carsons, both have agreed when their son is fifteen they will send him to the Academy."

"And the others?"

Collins hesitated. "I was unable to reach them. It seems they both have moved without leaving a forwarding address."

"But at one point in time they all had said they would send their children, right?"

"Yes, they did say they would. All we can hope for is that they'll keep their end of the bargain, and when the time comes both Jack and Elizabeth will join the Academy."

Wes nodded his head and leaned back against his seat. "So for sure we have two, and then hopefully the other two, and that will make four." Wes sighed. "That's still not enough for a future second-level ranger team, we need five at least." Wes eyed his father questioningly. "You said there was another, a girl, Samantha, the high school student."

"Yes. But I don't even know her last name. She was only seventeen, eighteen at the time. She might not even be married, let alone have a child." Collins looked right at Wes. "As far as I know, there are only four children."

"Well then, four will have to be enough." Wes jokingly laughed. "Unless I have one running around somewhere." But Wes quickly stopped his laughter and soon felt a grave amount of sadness take over. He didn't have any children. He probably never would. He had only been with two women after the accident that altered his DNA, and neither of them had any children. And now knowing what he knew, he wouldn't bring one into the world. He couldn't put anyone through that. It wouldn't be fair.

"Son..." Collins reached out to Wes.

"I'm okay, Dad." Wes smiled faintly. "Thanks."

"All right, son." Collins smiled faintly. And he wouldn't go any further than that. He knew Wes would have to be the one to make the first move, when it came to talking about his feelings, about what was going on, what was happening, what might never happen. Wes wasn't the only one suffering from this. He would very much like to have a grandchild, someone to carry on the family name, but as he had learned, sometimes things just don't work out the way you'd like them too.

* * *

_This was different from all the others. He was alone. Lost. Trying to find his way out, but he was going around in circles, getting nowhere. Then he tripped over a large stone, and dropped to the ground. There was a name on the stone. He looked up to see whose it was, but then a bright light flashed, blinding him. Wes shielded his eyes from the bright lights._

_"Wes..."_

_"Jen?"__ Wes turned around and found Jen facing him. "Jen, what's going on? Where are we? I don't understand."_

_"Promise me," she pleaded, tears rushing down her cheeks. "Promise me..."_

_"Promise you what?" Wes was so confused. What was it that she wanted him to promise? Why would she never tell him what it was? "Jen, promise you what? Jen, I don't-"_

_She cut him off by pressing her lips to his, kissing him so deeply that it felt so much more than a dream. She broke away from him, looking him in the eyes. "You'll understand soon." She started backing away._

_"Jen!"__ Wes started towards her, but she started to fade away. "Don't leave me!"_

_"Promise," he heard her whisper, until she was out of sight and he was alone once again._

Wes's eyes flashed open. "Jen, what do you want from me?" He sat himself up and pulled the sheets off of him. He looked at his clock, 7 a.m., he have to be at work in an hour. He stood up and started getting ready for work, and soon he felt the dream drifting away, as he began planning his day out. It all seemed to have become a regular routine, waking up from the dream, getting up and getting ready for work, and hoping that tonight the dreams would finally stop and he could let go.

_But sometimes, when one is just getting their life back together, something unexpected happens and turns their world upside down, changing everything in one instant…

* * *

_

It had been almost two weeks now since Wes had learned about the whole Space Patrol Delta deal that his father and Andros had been setting up over the last couple of months. A project that years earlier his mother had started working on, back when he was just a small child. He couldn't believe he hadn't known, but he had been so young back then, all he had really known was that his mother worked on top secret projects at Bio-Lab, and that was about it.

Wes thought the idea of expanding the Silver Guardians was a good idea, and despite a name change he really didn't have too many problems with it, other than maybe the ranger Academy scared him a little, but in all truth, in the back of his mind he kept telling himself that perhaps this was supposed to happen. Just maybe, this was how Time Force would come to be.

In some ways he found it funny and ironic, that one day this would all be Time Force. It had started here with the Silver Guardians, now soon to be Space Patrol Delta; it was because of them Time Force would exist, that's how he had met Jen, a Time Force ranger from the future, a future that existed because of him. He found it almost hard to believe.

"Jen," Wes sighed, bowing his head. It had been a little more than a week since he had thought about her. Wondering what she was doing, how she was doing, who was she _with_?

They had come so close, only to have it all end without even a goodbye. His heart was still wrenched from that time a year ago, having to leave her behind, knowing they could never have a life together, although he still chose to believe they could, but that was him not being realistic. But as time went on he was feeling his heart heal and was starting to be able to move forward, still, no matter how much time that would go by, he would never stop loving her.

_"Mr. Collins, your twin brother is here to see you. Shall I send him in?" _

_Twin brother? I don't have a….._It could only be one person. Wes was left frozen in his thoughts. Alex was here, but why?

_"Mr. Collins?"_

Wes snapped out of his thoughts. "Send him in, Trudy," answered Wes, speaking into the machine.

The door to Wes's office opened. Alex stepped in, uneasy, even frightened. This was going to be one of the hardest things he had ever done, well _almost_. One thing that was very visible to Alex was that Wes didn't look too pleased to see him, and he couldn't blame him, especially with what he had to tell Wes about why he was here.

For a long moment Wes just stared at Alex, this was the last person he wanted to see or have anything to do with. But Wes couldn't help but notice that Alex seemed different, older somehow, very much changed from when he saw him a year ago.

"Hello, Wes." Alex walked up to his desk.

Wes stood up, looking angrier than ever. This was the man who had taken Jen away from him. The man who broke off their engagement._ Ironic,_ Wes thought, that he had done the same thing to Alex once. "What are you doing here, Alex?" Wes asked harshly. "Did you come here to take something else of mine? Something you forgot the last time?" Wes ripped his morpher off his wrist and threw it at Alex, who caught it. "Here, take it! It's the only thing I have left of _yours_!"

Alex set the morpher on Wes's desk. "I didn't come here for the morpher, Wes." Alex sighed. "Besides, you're going to need it." Alex sighed again; this wasn't going to be easy. "But you already knew that."

Wes sighed heavily, taking a deep breath and crossed his arms against his chest. "What do you want, Alex?"

How could he tell him? He knew Wes wasn't going to take this news well, in fact he knew very well it would kill Wes, but he had to know. He deserved the truth. Alex had a promise to keep and he couldn't back down now. Not after… "I think you should sit down, Wes, maybe we should call your father in or Eric."


	12. Breakdown, With a surprise

"I think I rather stand," Wes glared angrily and impatiently at Alex. "And what does my father or Eric have to do with this?"

Alex had expected to get that answer back. Wes sure wasn't going to make things easy on him, and perhaps that's how it should be, after all this was his fault, or so he told himself. "Nothing. I just thought you'd like to have one of them here, maybe both of them."

"Why? Afraid I'm going to beat you up?" Wes was starting to lose his cool. Alex was just standing there, not saying a word. "What aren't you telling me?" he demanded. "Dammit, Alex! Just spit it out!"

"Please Wes. _Please_ sit down." Alex's face softened a little. "Please." He was struggling to keep his composure, but he could already feel himself breaking apart, choking on his words. He hadn't thought it would be this hard.

Wes was starting not to like Alex's soft and gentle tone; in fact it scared him to death. He felt a cold chill go down his back, fearing the worst possible thing he could imagine, fearing what he had been feeling for weeks was about to be revealed as what he'd been dreading. He began shaking his head and could feel tears starting to leak through his eyes, stinging painfully. "No. No!" Wes gulped in heavily, trying to hold back his tears and pain. "It can't be!"

"Wes." Alex started forward, realizing now he had been way too obvious. This wasn't how he had wanted things to come out.

Wes pushed him away. "No. You're lying! She isn't…She can't be!" he yelled, feeling tears rush down his face. An uncontrollable pain ached in his heart that wouldn't go away. He felt his body give away and he dropped to his knees. "No. God no, please."

"I'm sorry, Wes." Alex felt sick to his stomach. Never had he been so sorry in all his life. "I'm so sorry."

Wes angrily jumped to his feet and violently attacked Alex, out of control. He grabbed at Alex, yelling into his face, "So this is why you came back? To tell me the woman I love _is…_" And he couldn't get the words out. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to accept it. He couldn't. He looked Alex hard in the eyes. "Go to hell, Alex!" Wes shoved Alex against the wall and started towards his door, in a stormy manner.

"Wes wait, there's something else you need to know!" Alex called after him.

"I've had about enough of your shit!" His tears were uncontrollable now. "When I get back here you better be gone." Wes opened his door nearly knocking his father over, who had heard yelling coming from Wes's office.

"Wes, son..." But Wes didn't answer, just kept on moving down the hall. Collins turned to Alex. "What's going on here?"

Alex sighed heavily. "Jen's dead."

Collins closed his eyes, sighing, taking those two words in. 'Jen's dead.' The woman his son loved more than anything was not just gone, but dead. He looked straight at Alex, angry and upset. "So you came all the way here to tell him that the woman he loves is dead?"

"No. There's more." Alex stepped forward. "It's been five years, Mr. Collins. Five years since I've been here."

* * *

It was pouring rain out. The sky was getting darker. Lisa was sitting down in her living room, reading a book and listening to the storm, when she heard someone pounding on her door. "I'm coming, hang on!" She pulled her blanket off of her and set the book down on the coffee table. The pounding continued. "I'm coming," she yelled again.

She opened the door. And found Wes, soaking wet and shivering, his eyes red. He looked as if he'd lost his best friend in the world. "Wes?" she asked, almost not even sure if it was him.

"She's gone," he choked.

"Who's gone?" She looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Tears shone in Wes's eyes, and the words just slipped from his mouth. "Jen's dead," and that was all he had to say, two simple words, that had more meaning than anything. The woman he had never stopped loving was dead, gone forever. He would never see her again, never be able to tell her how much he loved her. He would never kiss her lips again and never be able to hold her in his arms. He was never able to say _goodbye_.

And then he just fell apart, falling in front of her door, but Lisa quickly put her arms around him, letting him cry on her shoulder. She didn't know what to say, sorry just didn't seem good enough. It wasn't strong enough to fix this. So she just held him, like he was a small child.

* * *

Eric pounded on the hotel room door. It was late morning, and Wes hadn't returned home from the night before. Collins phoned Eric and told him all he knew about the situation, and asked him to track down both his son and Alex.

"Eric," said Alex flatly, as he opened the door. He looked slightly surprised to see him, as if he wasn't expecting or even anticipating Eric finding him. "How'd you find me? I didn't even tell Wes's father where I was staying."

"I have my ways." Eric stared at Alex angrily. Angry that just when Wes was getting his life back together, Alex showed up and destroyed any chance of Wes ever getting his life back together. "You have a lot of nerve, you know that! It wasn't enough that you had to rip the woman he loved more than anything from him, but then you have the guts to come back and tell him she's dead!" He glared at Alex hard, if looks could kill Alex would be dead. "And they say I'm the asshole!"

"Eric wait, before you say anything, there's something you have to understand-" started Alex, as he began to back away from Eric, knowing that at any moment his face might meet with Eric's fist.

Eric clenched his hand into a fist, getting ready to strike. "The only thing that I understand is what a selfish son of a-"

"Daddy?" a little five year old boy came running out of the bedroom, startled at the sight, of a man's fist coming very close to his father's face.

Alex turned to his son. "Schuyler."

Eric stood frozen, looking from the boy and then back to Alex. He slowly released his fist and backed away from Alex. Whether it was because he didn't want the boy to see him beat the crap out of his father or whether he was caught off guard, he was not sure now what to make of the situation.

"Schuyler, go back into your room and shut your door. Okay?"

"Okay," he answered and went back into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Once they were alone again, Alex faced Eric. He was a loss for words, of where he should start or even if he should start. This wasn't how he planned for things to turn out. Alex sighed, he hadn't planned on a lot of things.

Eric looked Alex hard in the eyes, questioning. "Daddy?"

"Look, I know what you're thinking."

"Oh, I bet you do," remarked Eric harshly. "This just keeps on getting better, by the minute. First you taking Jen away from Wes, then coming back here telling him she's died, and now I find out you had a kid with her." Eric crossed his arms against his chest. "Wes is just going to love this."

Alex sighed heavily, knowing now was the time for the truth to be told. It was time to reveal the big secret. "Well, I'm not exactly the father."

"What do you mean you're not the father, how else-" And that's when it hit Eric hard in the face. "Shit!"

* * *

"Eric, hey." Lisa moved aside and let Eric in and closed the door behind them. "He's in the living room."

"Thanks for calling." Eric felt lost at what to do. This wasn't something he was trained for. "Um, h-how is he?" He knew it was a dumb question to ask, even as he asked it, but…

"Not good." Lisa sighed. "He was a wreck when he showed up last night, pretty messed up. I was able to get him to eat something this morning."

Eric nodded his head, sighing. "Thanks for your help." He leaned forward and hug her gently, knowing this hadn't been easy on her.

"Any time," she smiled faintly.

Eric returned the smile and slowly walked into the living room. Lisa headed in the opposite direction, knowing that Eric needed to be alone with Wes.

Eric found Wes curled up on the couch, not moving, face down, depressed. Eyes dry, he had shed all his tears the day before, there was nothing left. "Wes..." Eric stepped forward so he was facing him, staring down at him. Wes didn't even flinch. Eric sighed and smiled faintly. "Look I know it hurts and it's a lot to deal with, but you need to talk to Alex. He has something very important he needs to tell you." Wes didn't answer. He hadn't even acknowledged Eric. "Wes-"

"There's nothing more I need to hear from that bastard!" Wes's words were harsh and hard, filled with anger and envy.

"I think there is." Eric got right into Wes's face. "There's something you don't know."

"If you know, just tell me. I have nothing more to say to him." Wes clenched his fist. "He can rot in hell for all I care."

Eric knew Wes had every right to be angry, hurt, upset and whatever else he was feeling, but right now he needed Wes to be levelheaded. "Look I could tell you, but it would be better coming from him. I'll go with you."

Wes turned his head away. He didn't want to see Alex. He didn't want to talk to Alex. He didn't want anything to do with Alex.

Eric grabbed Wes's shoulder. "Trust me. Although it will be hard to hear, you need to hear it. And you may find it's not what you expected."

"Fine." Wes glared Eric hard in the eyes. "But the moment he says something I don't like, I'm gone."

Eric nodded his head. "Okay."

* * *

Eric and Wes met Alex in the lobby. The room was empty. It was just the three of them. Alex was sitting alone on one of the couches. Wes and Eric walked around and sat down on the couch that was facing Alex. Several minutes passed of just silence and awkward and uncomfortable glances, until Wes broke the silence.

"Before you say anything," Wes raised his eyes, staring right at Alex. "I just want to know one thing. Did you marry her?"

Alex sighed heavily, bowing his head down. He let a couple of moments pass until he looked up to meet Wes's questioning gaze. "Yes," he answered softly.

Wes felt a pang of hurt go through his heart, tearing it to pieces, as far as he knew his life was falling apart. "I think I heard about enough." Wes stood up and started moving very quickly towards the door.

Eric glared at Alex to do something. "Do something!"

"Wes, she was pregnant!" Alex jumped to his feet.

Wes stopped dead in his tracks, and slowly turned around. "What did you say?"

"Jen was pregnant, Wes."

"Pregnant?" Wes twisted the word around in his head. "What are you talking about?"

Alex sighed, heavily stepping forward. "Jen was pregnant before we left," Alex gulped in heavily, "with _your_ child." Alex waited for Wes to respond, but Wes was clearly blown away. "You have a son, Wes. A five year old son."

"I have a son?" Wes didn't know what to think anymore. He ran his hands through his hair. "Jen was pregnant?"


	13. The Unknown Son

Wes couldn't believe his ears. Jen had been pregnant when she left him. He had a son. He and Jen had a son together. After hearing the news he went back to the couch and just fell back. He felt several different emotions going through him, shock, anger, joy, all combined into one. And finally, "Why didn't she tell me?"

Alex sighed heavily, knowing Wes wouldn't like the answer. "I asked her not to."

"You what? Damn you, Alex!" Wes felt anger flow through him. He was about to jump to his feet and jump at Alex, until Eric held him back.

"Get a hold of yourself, Wes! Hear him out." Eric continued to hold onto Wes, until Wes stopped struggling.

"Fine!" He looked Alex hard in the eyes. "But it better be good."

"She wanted to tell you, Wes. God, she wanted to so much." He sighed heavily. "But I asked her not to, and I can't say that I'm sorry that I told her that." Alex could see anger burn in Wes's eyes. "She couldn't stay with you, Wes; even if she did Time Force would have come and brought her back with them. And if they found out that she was pregnant and that you were the father..." Alex's eyes filled with great sadness. "And they would have." He gulped in hard, just thinking about it made him sick to his stomach. "And that would have been the end of it. I don't think I need to say what would have happened. I think you get the picture."

Wes bowed his head down, sighing. The pieces were starting to come together. He finally understood why. "That's why you married her, so everyone would think the baby was yours." Wes ran his hand over his face, feeling ashamed of himself for his anger towards Alex. "You were protecting them." Wes felt like hitting himself over the head. _How could I have been so stupid?_

"Yes." Alex nodded his head. "I want you to know that nothing ever happened between us, Wes." Alex smiled faintly. "She never stopped loving you." There was great sadness in his voice. He was the one who had gotten to marry her, and although he loved her with all his heart, she hadn't loved him back, at least not in the way he wanted her to.

Wes felt a few tears leak from his eyes. Jen had never stopped loving him; knowing that brought some ease to his heart, but he knew it would be a while until the pain would go away. "H-How did she die?" he asked, choking on his words.

Alex sighed heavily, as he began to tell the events that had taken place to bring him to this very point. "When we returned to the future, shortly after we were married, she fell ill; we soon found out she had a deadly disease…"

_3004_

_"I'm sorry, but without following through with this there may be nothing we can do. I urge you, Mrs. Drake, that you terminate this pregnancy. If you don't you may not survive," stated the doctor._

_Jen bowed her head down, sighing. She and Alex had been hoping there was something that could be done, but all their hopes had failed. "And if I don't, the baby will survive? He'll be okay, right?"_

_The doctor smiled faintly and nodded his head. "Yes. The baby will be fine. Somehow the disease hasn't been spread to him," The doctor looked her right in the eyes. "Are you sure about this? We can try after the child is born, but I cannot guarantee you that it will work. I want to make sure you understand."_

_"I understand, and yes, I'm sure." It didn't even take her a minute to answer. She had always known what her answer would be and nothing would ever change that._

_"All right." The doctor smiled and shared a concerned glance with Alex, who had remained silent through the whole thing._

_Once they were alone, "Jen."_

_"Alex, I know what you're going to say." She turned to him, tears in her eyes. "And I can't do it. I won't do it! I already lost him and I'm not going to lose this baby too," She then broke down crying, feeling herself break apart as her whole world came crashing down. "It's all I'll ever have of him." She buried herself into his chest. "Please understand," she cried._

_Alex quickly wrapped his arms around her. "Okay." He sighed heavily. He felt so powerless; there was nothing he could do. "We'll get through this, Jen." Alex bit his lip. "I promise."_

"She chose to keep the child. She felt her son's life was more important than her own."

"It's my _fault_-"

"No!" Alex shouted. He shook his head. "No. It's not your fault. Don't ever think that!"

"But if I hadn't…If we hadn't….She wouldn't be…" Wes felt himself fill with guilt and doubt, as his voice broke apart.

"Even if you hadn't," Alex sighed, "she still would have gotten sick. In fact, getting pregnant may have been what allowed her to last as long as she did."

"What do you mean? If she hadn't been pregnant, she would have been able to go through the procedure."

Alex shook his head. "No." He bowed his head down, sighing. It was hard just to look at Wes, telling him everything that had happened. It was much harder than he had ever dreamed it would be. "We later found out it wouldn't have done any good."

"I don't understand. How would getting pregnant make any difference?"

"Because," Alex looked right into Wes's eyes, "Her son isn't just any ordinary baby."

And that's when it hit Wes, hard in the face. The baby, his son, would have been affected by the change in his very own DNA, giving his son an abnormal power. "He-"

"Yes." Alex nodded his head. "Your son has a special gift. He's able to create force fields. He was doing it inside his mother's womb, we just didn't know it. He was preventing the sickness from spreading to himself, and slowing down the process which would eventually kill his mother." Alex smiled faintly. "Because of him, Jen was able to last five years."

Wes didn't know what to say. It was a lot to take in. First finding out that Jen had died, then finding out he had fathered a son, and then finding out the truth, that she had never stopped loving him. "Did anyone else know? Trip? Lucas? Katie?"

"No. Both Jen and I thought the less they knew, the better. If the truth ever got out, we didn't want them to go down with us. To this day, as far as I know, they have always believed I was the father."

Wes nodded his head, understanding the reasoning. "Did she suffer?"

"No." Alex bit his lip to prevent himself from breaking down. He needed to stay strong, for Jen. He had promised her that he would explain everything to Wes, no matter how hard and difficult it would be. "Both I and your son were with her when she passed. She went very quickly, but before she passed she made me make a promise."

Wes became very alert, as if he already knew what it was. "Wh-What?"

"That I would reunite her son with his father." Alex bowed his head down, sighing. "I was never able to fulfill the first promise I made. I tried to get her back to you, but I _couldn't_. She just became so sick and weak. She wouldn't have survived the travel through time." Alex could feel tears trying to force their way out but he held it together.

"What about Time Force? What if they find out?" asked Eric, finally joining the conversation.

"They won't find out." Alex looked up to Wes and Eric. "A week ago, my time, we were pronounced dead. Died on a camping trip, during a heavy storm, no bodies were ever found." Alex then began to tell the events that led to this point…

_3009_

_It had been three weeks. The young boy had become withdrawn, hardly eating, and barely getting enough sleep. His father, on most days, found him just sitting around staring at his and his wife's wedding photo. _

_Alex bent down and picked his son up. He sat down in a chair, placing the child on his lap. "Haven't you've gotten tired of looking at that photo?"_

_"I miss her," he answered softly, still staring at the photo, looking directly at his mother._

_Alex sighed heavily. "I miss her too," he replied, kissing his son on the head._

_"Did you love her?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Did she love you?" asked the young boy, looking his father in the eyes._

_Alex smiled gently. "What do you think?" There was a knock at the apartment door. "Come in,' he called out._

_Lucas, Trip and Katie came walking into the living room-kitchen area. Schuyler jumped out of his father's lap and went running into the arms of Katie. "Aunt Katie!" he yelled joyfully. "Uncle Lucas, Uncle Trip!"_

_"Hey there, little guy," said Katie as she kissed him on the cheek and set him back down on the ground._

_"Yuck!" he said as he wiped the kiss off of his cheek. Everyone laughed lightly._

_"So Sky, got a girlfriend yet?" winked Lucas._

_"No. Do you?"_

_Everyone had to laugh at that. Lucas crossed his arms against his check. "Very funny, kid."_

_"So Schuyler, we're going to have some fun today. Today is your special day, we'll do whatever you want," said Trip, kneeling down to be on eye level with him._

_"Really?" Schuyler turned to his father. "Can I, Dad?"_

_"Of course. I asked them to take you out today. I have a lot of work to do today."_

_'Yeah! I'm going to go get my coat." Sky went running into his bedroom._

_"So Alex, when should we have the little guy back home?" asked Katie._

_"Whatever works for you." _

_Now that was something that surprised all of them. It was very out of character for Alex not to give a certain time for them to return Sky back home. It was as if he was keeping something from them, but for the past five years they all had felt there was something quite odd about the relationship between Alex, Jen, and Sky; something had always been off._

_Even on their wedding day, something was awfully wrong with both Alex and Jen, even in the way they had kissed, and as far as anyone knew that had been the last time anyone had ever seen those two kiss. Months after their wedding Schuyler had been born, which everyone had guessed was the reason Jen and Alex had married. No one ever second guessed that Alex was the father. The kid was the spitting image of him, but they always wondered. But none of them would ever bring it up in front of Jen or Alex. The three felt that if it was something that they ought to know, Alex and Jen would tell them._

_"How's he doing?" asked Lucas, knowing that Sky and his mother, in the short time they had together, had been very close to each other. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for him to lose his mother. _

_Alex sighed heavily. "Okay. About what you'd expect. It's just going to take time."_

_"I'm ready." Sky had his jacket on and was ready and raring to go and hang out with his 'aunt' and 'uncles'._

_"All right buddy, let's go get the car," said Lucas, picking up the five year old. "You can drive!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Oh no, Lucas, there is no way you're going to let him drive," yelled Katie, going after the two. "Remember what happened the last time!"_

_For a long moment Trip and Alex stared at each other in silence. Alex had always wondered if Trip knew the truth, knew the secret that he and Jen had been keeping. He knew the others had always suspected, but it was one thing to know and another to suspect._

_"Make it a day to remember, Trip."_

_"Why do I get the feeling this is some kind of goodbye?" asked Trip, having a strange and worried feeling coming over him, a feeling of loss, of doubt and sacrifice._

_Alex was silent. "I really have a lot of work to do, Trip. You should go catch up with them, have fun today, make memories." _

_Trip sighed and nodded his head. "We will….I'm sorry." In that moment Trip finally understood everything, but he wouldn't let on that he did, and he knew why. And if he had to he too would keep this information from Lucas and Katie; the less they knew the better. The less anyone knew the better._

_"Thank you for everything, Trip." _

"A few days later, my s-, I mean Sky and I left for our camping trip. Lucas and the others saw us off."

_"You guys have fun now." Katie hugged Sky tightly. "You be good for your dad, okay?"_

_"Okay Aunt Katie, see you when we get back."_

_"Okay, kid-o." Katie smiled sweetly._

_Lucas bent down and handed Sky a pair of sunglasses. "Okay Sky, wear these and the ladies will be all over you." Lucas winked and patted the boy on the shoulder._

_"Why would I want them all over me?"_

_Katie elbowed Lucas hard in the ribs. Lucas laughed. "Ah, we'll talk about that when you get back." _

_"Okay." Sky then turned to his Uncle Trip. "Bye, Uncle Trip, we'll play more space ball when I get back, right?"_

_Trip eyed Alex, as if sensing something. He looked back to Sky and smiled. "Sure." He nodded his head and then kneeled in front of Sky, giving him a hug goodbye. "You take care, Sky." Trip then pulled away, smiling faintly. "I'll see you when you get back."_

_"Okay. Bye!" Sky waved goodbye to Katie and Lucas. "Bye Aunt Katie, Uncle Lucas!" Sky then hopped into his father's car._

_Alex approached the three and for a long moment just stared at them, as if it would be for the last time. "Um, here's the key to the apartment, so you can bring the mail in and stuff." He handed the key to Lucas. "Try not to have any wild parties."_

_"Oh, don't worry, I'm all partied out from the last one," grinned Lucas._

_"Hey, you take care of that boy of ours." Katie smiled and hugged Alex._

_"You have my word." Alex then faced Trip and handed him an envelope. "Trip, could you see that this gets mailed. I forgot to send it yesterday."_

_"Sure."_

_"Well." Alex stepped back, smiling faintly. "See you guys around." Alex then got into his car and drove off._

_Trip watched longingly as the car drove out of sight, and somehow he knew._

_"Hey, they'll be back in less then a week." Lucas gripped Trip's shoulder. "Stop acting as if we'll never see them again."_

_Trip smiled faintly and laughed. "Right."_

_"Come on, let's go catch a movie. My treat," said Katie._

_"Sounds good to me!" Lucas followed behind Katie, leaving Trip behind. _

_Trip stood still looking in the direction the car had gone in, taking with it Sky and Alex. "Goodbye, Alex and Sky. I'll miss you both…" _

"There was a highly dangerous storm at the location I had told them where we were going to go camp. I left behind our belongings, things we didn't need. And we traveled through time, using an old model of a time travel device." Alex then held out his wrist. It looked similar to their morphers, only with more buttons. "I checked the history banks; we both were pronounced dead." Alex licked his lips. "They won't be looking for us."

Wes didn't know what to say. Everything was happening so fast, it was overwhelming. And he thought everything with Space Patrol Delta was a lot to deal with. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or say. He had just been handed the biggest responsibility ever, his son. The son he hadn't even known he had. And the fact that his son was four years older than he really should be made it all the harder. There was so much he had missed, Sky's birth, his first steps, first word, first birthday. How was he going to explain to everyone that he had a five year old son?


	14. The Promise

Wes sat outside the hotel alone, feeling the breeze of the wind blow against him, ignoring all that was around him. After hearing the truth about Jen and what had happened from Alex, it had hit him very hard, more than he was willing to admit. Although a part of him was hurt that Alex had asked Jen to keep this from him, he understood why, but even though he understood, it didn't mean it still didn't hurt. It probably always would, but at least now he knew the truth and understood why.

"Hey, how you doing?" asked Alex, as he walked around and took a seat next to Wes. Alex knew this was hard on Wes, that it would be a big adjustment for him. Alex sighed; it seemed Wes was getting a lot of that lately. But he knew he didn't have many opportunities for getting Sky here, Sky wasn't getting any younger and the older he got the harder it would be.

"I honestly don't know," Wes sighed. He turned to Alex and smiled faintly. "I want to apologize for the way I acted."

"Don't. You were upset and angry. If it had been me I probably wouldn't have done any better."

Wes wasn't sure if that was true. Alex had always seemed to have his head together, where as he himself always seemed to lose control when it was something concerning Jen. "Maybe."

Alex nodded his head and then handed Wes a folder.

"What's this?"

"Everything about your son, everything to start his life here, but there was one thing that had to change."

Wes scanned over the paper and then he saw what Alex was talking about, his son's name. Schuyler Colin Tate. "His last name is different from mine."

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "It's just a precaution, just in case." He turned to Wes. "Someday, maybe you can change it to Collins. I don't know."

Wes nodded his head, understanding. Even if Time Force did believe that both Sky and Alex were dead, they could never be too sure. Better to be safe than sorry. "Why Tate though, I mean why not Smith or something?"

"Tate was Jen's mother's maiden name. I guess I thought if he couldn't have his father's last name, that he could still have one of his family's names."

"Why not leave it Drake?"

Alex sighed and bowed his head. "Because I don't plan on staying here for long."

"What?" What was going on? "What do you mean you're not staying? You said that everyone thinks you're dead in the future."

"My place isn't here, Wes." Alex faced Wes. "I only came here to bring Sky to you. I _can't_ stay here. I don't belong."

"Where will you go?"

And for the first time, Alex didn't have an answer. He didn't know where he would go. He couldn't go home, go back to Time Force; they all believed he was dead and it needed to stay that way, for Sky. Up until now, Alex hadn't realized just how big a sacrifice he had made. He had given up his life for this boy, for the promise he had made to Jen. He'd given up everything and in a few minutes he would be giving up his son: Wes's son, he reminded himself. "Um, come on, I'll introduce you to your son." Alex stood up, holding back his deep sadness for the loss he was about to receive.

"Sure," answered Wes, not at all sure he was ready for this. Yesterday he hadn't even known he had a son.

"You ready?" Alex looked over his shoulder.

"You don't get to be ready for something like this."

Alex smiled faintly, understanding more than Wes would ever know. A part of him had always known he wouldn't be Sky's father forever. He just hadn't thought he would get so attached. And he hadn't even said goodbye yet.

* * *

Wes stood uncomfortably in the hotel room, just staring off into space, heart pounding against his chest. He was scared to death, as terrifying questions were going off in his head. What if his son didn't like him? What if his son hated him for the abnormal power he had given him? What if he didn't accept him as his father? He wasn't sure what scared him more, becoming a father or his son never accepting him.

Alex took a deep breath. _Well here it is…let's get it over with._ He coughed, trying to hide the choking in his throat. "Schuyler, can you come out please?"

"Sure."

Wes watched as a little boy walked out through the bedroom door. Wes couldn't believe his eyes; this was his son. He was at a loss for words. He wanted to take him in his arms and never let him go, but he resisted the urge, knowing that Sky, his son, might not react well to that. After all, this was the first time for either of them, seeing each other.

Sky looked directly at Wes for a long moment, just staring, uncertain, and then he turned to the man he had always called his father. The boy shied close to Alex.

Alex bent down in front of him and motioned Wes over. "Sky." He gently placed a comforting hand on Sky's shoulder. "You remember the man your mother and I told you about, just before she died?"

Sky nodded his head, as he took a quick look at Wes and then turned back to Alex. "Yes," he answered softly. "Mom said he's my real dad."

"That's right. This is Wes, your father."

Wes smiled and slowly put out his hand, and then tried to find the words. "Hi, Sky."

Sky seemed hesitant at first, but a quick look at Alex told him that everything was okay. Sky shook Wes's hand. "Hi." Sky licked his lips. "You knew my mom?"

Wes nodded his head. "Yeah." He smiled faintly. "I'm sorry about what happened; you must really miss her."

Sky nodded his head gently, not answering. He was still taking in the scene, but his little mind couldn't quite grasp what was happening. This was all so new and confusing to him. He didn't understand.

Wes could get the sense that Sky was starting to look uncomfortable with what was going on. The boy was starting to move closer to Alex, as if he could already sense that something was going to change. "Um, Alex, maybe I should step back for a minute. Give you guys some time alone."

Alex nodded his head. "Yeah. That might be for the best." He watched as Wes stepped away and headed into the bedroom. Once they were alone Alex faced Sky, looking into his young, innocent eyes. "Schuyler?"

"What's going on? I want to go home. I want to go see Uncle Trip."

Alex sighed heavily. He had thought he could get away with just leaving him here, not changing anything, but Sky was five years old. He had built relationships. He could sense change and distress. He wanted to go home. "We can't go home,Sky, this is your home now." Alex bit his lip. "With Wes, your real dad."

"But I want to go with you," the boy cried. "You're my dad!"

Alex felt a few tears leak out; it couldn't be helped. He took Sky into his arms. "No, I'm not." Alex pulled away and brushed some of Sky's hair out of his face. "This is what your mother wanted, remember? She wanted me to take you to Wes. You remember, right?"

"I remember," he sniffled. He took a deep breath. "Are you going to stay with me?"

Alex shook his head and took a hold of Sky's hand. "No."

"Will I ever see you again?"

Wes had overhead everything and even had taken a few quick looks. It was hard not to notice the relationship his son and Alex shared. Wes could see that both of them loved each other very much, and it was heartbreaking, watching as they said goodbye for what might be the last time. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

Alex bit his lip. "Someday." Alex then felt Sky jump into his arms, wrapping his tiny little arms around his neck. Alex held on tightly, for what he knew would be the last hug Sky would ever give him. With one arm wrapped tightly around Sky, Alex used his free hand to pull a tube out of his pocket. It was a type of shot. Alex sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Sky," he whispered. Alex gently pressed the shot into Sky's arm, and felt as the boy's body went limp.

Wes sighed and smiled faintly as he walked back over to Alex. "I'm sorry."

Alex nodded his head as he stood up, holding Sky in his arms. "It needed to be done. He remembered too much about the future, the people." Alex licked his lips. "He would never adjust if I didn't take away his memories."

"Yeah," Wes sighed. "I just wish he would have been able to remember Jen, his mother."

"Someday he may. I only revised his memories to fit into your own time. He'll have memories, they will just be unclear." Alex then handed Sky to Wes.

Wes took his sleeping son into his arms, staring down into his face. "How long will he be out?"

"A couple of hours."

"I don't know what to say."

"What do you mean?"

"You've given up everything to bring Sky to _me_." Wes sighed. "I don't deserve it."

"Yes, you do." Alex gripped Wes's shoulder. "I just never realized it until now. You and Jen were meant to be together, I'm just sorry it never happened."

Wes smiled. "Thanks, that means a lot."

"Well, you should be going. I'm getting ready to head out." Alex took one last look at Sky. "Take care of him."

"I will." Wes then looked Alex directly in the eyes. "I'll make sure _our_ son grows up right." Wes then smiled and headed towards the door. "Goodbye Alex, I hope that someday you find happiness again."

Alex watched as Wes left, taking Sky with him. "Goodbye," he whispered, as a memory came into his mind.

_"Here you go, Dad, a beautiful healthy boy." The doctor placed little baby Sky into Alex's arms._

_"Thank you, Doctor." Alex watched as the doctor returned to the room, then he looked down at the new life he was holding. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. "Hey there, Sky." Alex smiled. "I know I'm not your real dad, but if you want I can be your dad, just until I get you back to him." He watched as Sky yawned and fell back asleep._

Alex took a quick look around; making sure nothing was left behind. He opened the door and headed into his journey, having no idea where he would end up, but hoping that one day his travels would lead him home, wherever that might be.

* * *

Wes gently placed his son in the back of Eric's truck, before joining him in the front.

"Where's Alex?"

"Not coming." Wes turned his head towards the back, watching his son sleeping peacefully.

"Where's he going?"

Wes sighed. "Don't know."

"You okay?"

Wes leaned back into his seat and smiled faintly. "About as okay as I'm going to get right now."

Eric put the truck in drive. "Well that's understandable."

"I wonder how my dad will take the news."

Eric smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it."

Wes didn't answer, just gave a nod and a faint smile. The truth was he wasn't sure if he was ready for this. This was all so new to him. And although he knew he would have his father and of course Eric always at his side, he would be raising his son on his own, without Jen. And that hurt more than losing her ever had before.

"Everything's going to be fine, Wes." Eric patted Wes on the shoulder. "You'll see."

* * *

Wes carried his son into the living room and gently laid him on the couch. He just kneeled there, staring into the boy's sleeping face; knowing once Sky's eyes opened his world would be forever changed, not that he would notice. Alex had said the memories would be revised to fit into this time, meaning for everyone he had known in the future others would have taken their place. The hard part would be having to go along with it, not knowing the memories as they were.

"Wes?" Collins walked in and joined his son, staring at the sleeping boy on the couch. "Who's this?"

"He's my son," Wes answered softly. He gently ran his hand through his son's hair. "His name is Schuyler."

And the more Collins looked at the boy, the more he could see Wes in him. There was no doubt that this boy was his son's son. "I have a grandson." Collins slowly sat down in one of the chairs. For the next few minutes he joined his son, watching as the new member of their family lay asleep. "He looks like her."

"Who?"

"Jen." Collins smiled faintly, as his son turned to meet his face. "It's okay to be afraid, Wes."

Wes got up and sat in the chair next to his father. "I guess I always pictured myself raising a family." He choked on his tears not being able to finish.

"You're not alone, Wes." He gripped his son's shoulder. "You have me. And this time around, we'll do things the right way."

Wes then clutched at his father, grateful for his love and support and the strong sense of feeling that everything would be all right. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

_It was the dream again, but this time it felt peaceful, at ease. Everything was so beautiful and calm. And then he saw her standing right in front of him, smiling brightly. _

_"Jen." He approached her and then ran right to her, throwing his arms around her. He felt it as she wrapped his arms around him. It felt so real, more than just a dream._

_"Promise me that you won't let him forget me." Tears were in her eyes._

_He wiped them away gently. "Not if I can help it. I promise he won't forget you, Jen." Tears filled his eyes. "I love you."_

_"And I love you." Jen leaned closer and kissed him gently on the lips. She pulled away and looked him deeply in the eyes. "I have to go, they're calling me back."_

_He knew she had to go, but he couldn't help but hold her back, keeping her just a little longer. "I wish you could stay." He smiled faintly; it almost seemed like a flash of déjà vu._

_Jen took his hands, smiling. "Me too." A tear ran down her cheek. "But we both know I can't." She squeezed his hands tightly. "Goodbye Wes, it's time to wake up now."_

_"Huh..."_

_"Dad?"_

_"What?"_

"Dad!" Sky shook his father until his eyes woke up. "You awake, Dad?"

At first Wes was confused, but then it all came back to him. He looked to his son. "Yeah, I'm awake." He picked Sky up, placing him on his lap. "What do you need, son?"

"Is it time for breakfast?"

"Um..." Wes looked at the clock; it read 6:30. "It's six thirty."

"Isn't that when we always have breakfast?" The boy looked at his father questioningly.

"Ah." And then Wes thought about it for a moment and he had to laugh; looked like Alex was still finding ways to keep him in line. _Looks like I'll have to be going to bed earlier from now on, if I'm going to be getting up at six-thirty every morning. _"Yeah, it is." He took his son's hand. "Come on; let's go see what we can find in the kitchen." Just maybe, things would be okay, after all.


	15. The Picture

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since his life changed forever, learning about his son. Two weeks since he learned about Jen's death. Two weeks since he'd last seen and heard from Alex. Two weeks since the dreams about Jen had stopped, and he was finding himself now wishing for them to return. So he could just see her one last time, hold her, kiss her gentle lips and tell her how much he loved her.

A lot had happened in those two weeks. Getting Sky situated at home, setting up his room, buying clothes and toys, everything a young boy needs. The past two weeks Wes had spent every waking moment with his son, getting to know him and doing his best at being the best father he could be, which wasn't too hard.

The hard part was explaining to the public that he had a son, but certain things had to be left out. No one could ever know the real truth about where Sky came from; to the public Sky would have been born back in 2000, only Wes, his family, close friends, and a few others would know the truth - that Sky had been conceived a year ago, and later born in the future.

Outside of that, the Silver Guardians officially had become known as Space Patrol Delta and construction had already begun to take place in NewTech City. If Bio-Lab pushed hard enough it would be finished within a year. For now the main base on Earth would remain in Silver Hills, but applications were already being sent out searching for new recruits to join SPD; leaving unknown to the public that five little children already held spots on squadrons.

Wes, Eric and a group of SPD officers stood around posing for pictures for the newspaper. Wes and Eric were both in their ranger suites and each had a SPD badge and both of them held their helmets in their hands.

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate having my picture taken?" mumbled Eric.

"Only about a hundred times today," Wes laughed. "Come on, it's for a good cause, and besides don't you think we look good with these nice new badges on our ranger uniforms?"

"Yeah. I guess they're okay." Eric looked over towards the sidewalk where a bunch of camera crew people and workers were standing around, but his eyes fell onto the young boy sitting there looking bored and slightly depressed. "How's he doing?"

"Okay. I mean other than missing Jen, he's all right." Although Wes and his son had been getting along and moving forward very well in their relationship, something was missing, a void Wes couldn't fill. At times Sky would become withdrawn and sometimes even turn away from him and go off on his own, either to his room or out back behind the house, wanting to be alone.

"He remembers her? I thought that Alex had to change his memories to fit into this time period."

"He did. But Sky remembers little things, I think." Wes shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not real sure. I tell him what I can, but sometimes I feel it's not enough, you know." Wes sighed. "He wants to know more."

Eric nodded his head. Wes was in a hard place: he was both raising his son and protecting him from a past he could never know about. Eric couldn't even imagine how hard that would be, having to keep a secret from your own child. "He'll come around; besides, the kid's nuts about you." Eric patted Wes on the shoulder.

"Thanks." Wes was grateful for Eric's support and friendship.

"Okay, I want to get photos of the two commanders alone. Commander Myers, you're up," announced the photographer.

"Great," Eric muttered. "Just what I want. My picture plastered all over town."

Once Eric was finished, Wes was up next. After his photo was taken, Wes took a quick glance over at his son. And then he realized something, he didn't have any pictures of Sky at home, not even one of them together. "Hey, could you take one of my son and me together?"

"Sure."

"Sky!" Wes waved his son over. "We're going to have our picture taken together, is that okay with you?"

"Can I hold your helmet?"

Wes smiled. "Sure." Wes handed his son his helmet and the two posed for the picture. Once the photo was taken, the camera crew gathered up their equipment and went on their way.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Sky?" asked Wes as he powered down and revealed his new SPD uniform with the SPD emblem.

"Do you think that you could maybe teach me to fight like you, so that I can be a power ranger, like you?"

Five years old and the kid wanted to be just like him - although most little kids want to be just like their parents. Even he at one time wanted to be just like his own father. "You wanna be a power ranger?"

"Yeah. I want to help people, just like you." Sky looked up at his father, admiring him. He admired his father more than anything and he would do anything to be just like him. "Can you teach me, please? I promise to work real hard."

_How can I say no to that? _Wes picked up his son, holding him on his shoulder. "You bet, we'll start first thing tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Sky cheered. He then saw Eric walking up to them. "Hey Uncle Eric, Dad's going to teach me to be a power ranger. Isn't that great?"

"First it was teenaged power rangers, now junior power rangers. Next thing you know, there'll be baby rangers."

"Hey, you're looking at one of the next generation of power rangers," grinned Wes.

"Yeah. But don't you think we should get him through kindergarten first?" Eric was only half joking; he knew that one day when Sky and the others were old enough and ready they would use their special powers and become power rangers and probably would end up doing great things, which Eric believed was one of the reasons Alex brought Sky to this time period.

"But if I start now, then I can be ahead of everyone."

Wes had to laugh; his son wasn't like most five year old boys. He was very focused, determined, knew what he wanted and didn't care how hard it would be. "See Eric, my boy knows what he wants."

"He's definitely his mother's child." And Eric felt that there was probably a little of Alex in Sky too. But at times he could see flashes of Wes in Sky, although Eric knew that Wes was probably thankful that his son was so much like Jen. He could see Wes's eyes light up every time he was around Sky, it was as if the missing void in Wes's life was filled, but he knew that Wes would give anything to have Jen back with them.

* * *

Andros sat at his desk in front of a computer. He pressed in a few keys to make contact with planet Sirius, to speak with Commander Cruger. It had just been a few days since Andros had gotten the call from Mr. Collins and learned about Wes's son Sky and that the boy's DNA, just like the others, was different.

"Andros, how good to see you, my friend. How are you?" Crugers face showed up on the screen.

"It's good to see you too, sir. And I'm doing well."

"Good. And your wife, how is she?"

"She's doing great. It's been almost two months now and everything's going fine."

"That's wonderful. And how goes-"

Andros interrupted. "Sorry sir, I don't mean to interrupt you, but I have some urgent news you should know."

"Okay." Cruger became very alert, although for the sound of Andros voice it didn't sound life treating, but theses days he could never be too sure. Several attacks had been made on his planet and they have won every time, but there was always that hidden fear that one day they might not be so lucky. "Go ahead Andros,"

"Sorry if I made it sound like a life and death situation, that not the case," Andros had seen the alert cross Crugers face right away. He had forgotten that the old dog had been pretty jumpy lately with the recent attacks. _I need to be a little more careful around him. _"It has just been brought to my attention that Wesley Collins does in fact have a child. A five year old boy. His DNA power enables him to create force fields."

"Five years old? How is that possible? The accident happened in 2001. The boy would have been born a year before the accident occurred."

Andros licked his lips. "Well, actually he would have been born in this year of 2005, if his mother hadn't returned to her time period a little more than a year ago." Andros then began explaining what had happened and how Sky had come to be with Wes.

"I would take it that this conversation doesn't go any further then you and I."

"You would be correct in saying that, sir."

"What is his name?"

"Schuyler Colin Tate."

"Very good then. I will be looking forward to one day working with Schuyler and the others."

"I'll be in touch with you, Commander, keep you updated."

"Yes. Very good." The communication then ended and the screen became blank.

"How'd it go?" asked Ashley, walking up behind Andros and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Fine." Andros smiled as he pulled her into his lap.

"That's good." Ashley sighed. "I just feel bad for Wes; this year hasn't been easy for him. All the changes at Bio-Lab, the Silver Guardians, Jen's death, his son."

"No it hasn't, but Wes will pull through." Andros had seen a lot in his day, as both a ranger and just growing up. It seemed to him it was like that for a lot of rangers, but life does have its rewards. He looked into Ashley's eyes and smiled, he was happily married and a soon to be father. "You feeling okay?"

She smiled. "Yes."

"And the baby?"

"She's doing just fine."

"She? How do you know it's a she?"

"Motherly instinct." She grinned and kissed him gently on the lips. "I can just feel it, Andros, she's going to be very special."

"Well then, I'll take your word for it." Andros stood up, carrying Ashley in his arms. "Let's go to bed, I'm beat."

* * *

He had left Silver Hills not even sure of where he was going, but found himself at Tommy Oliver's cabin; he even stayed a few nights with him and then went on his way, leaving a few items for Tommy to give to Wes. Things that he had meant to give to Wes humself, but with the whole Sky situation he had forgotten. The two things included Jen's ashes and the ring Wes had given to her when he asked her to marry him.

Alex didn't tell Tommy where he was going or even if he would come back and visit. The truth was Alex wasn't sure himself. He wasn't even sure if he would stay in this time period or even remain on Earth. He had half thought about returning back to his time period and leaving Earth, but for some strange reason he couldn't let himself return to his own time, not yet anyway. Perhaps that had a lot to do with the last conversation he had with Tommy, or even more so what he knew the future held…

"You sure it's not a problem?" asked Alex, handing him the box with Wes's name on it.

"No problem at all." Tommy smiled. "I'll be happy to do it. It gives me a reason to go say hi to Wes, Eric and Hayley and meet Wes's son, Sky."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Alex sighed. "Well, I should be going. Thank you for letting me stay here for a few days."

"It was no trouble. You're always welcome here."

"Thanks." Alex smiled faintly. "Goodbye, Tommy." Alex started on his way, walking down the dirt road.

Tommy then began getting the feeling that something was wrong. "Alex, is everything okay?"

Alex stopped and turned briefly. "For now it is."

What was that supposed to mean? Tommy could never be quite sure what Alex meant by the things he said, but one thing was for sure; Tommy knew that Alex always had a reason for everything he said and did. "Anything you need me to tell Wes?"

Alex bit his lip and sighed. "Just that he should be careful out there."

"Out where?" But Alex never responded, whether because he was too far down the road to hear or he choose not to answer, Tommy didn't know.

Alex wasn't even sure where he was headed now. He had left Reefside hours ago, taking with him only a bag of clothes, a little bit of food and some cash that Tommy had given him. He was a wonderer now, alone, nowhere to go, no place to call home.

He thought back to the last conversation he had had with Landon, a distant relative, talking of family; back then Alex didn't understand it. He couldn't see past the fact that Landon had broken the law, broken every rule in the book… but now... Now he knew all too well just what family meant to Landon. But now his family was gone, Jen was dead and Sky was in his rightful place with his real father.

Although looking back now, the word 'family' had never crossed Alex's mind when he had jumped in to help Jen, protect her from Time Force, and protect her son. A son he had come to call his own. He knew if he could go back he wouldn't change a thing, even with all the hurt and heartache he had gone through. He still would do everything the same, well, perhaps there were a few things he would change, but none of those things were in his control.

No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't find a way to make Jen better, he couldn't heal her and he couldn't get her back to Wes in time. The only thing he had been able to do was to bring Sky to Wes, even if….

"Sir?"

Alex snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh? Sorry."

"Are you boarding the train, sir?"

Alex looked back, almost as if he was changing his mind, but he picked up his bag and turned to the man. "Yeah."

"Okay sir, it's this way." Alex followed the man onto the train and began to let the future take its course, hoping that his next destination would lead him to wherever he was supposed to be.


	16. The letter

For the most part life seemed to be moving smoothly for Wes and Sky; it had been almost two months now. It had taken a lot of adjustment on Wes's part to become a father, fully unprepared for it; but his father had been with him every step of the way, guiding him and even relearning what it means to be a father all over again.

"He's getting better," announced Collins, walking up behind his son who had been watching Sky work out, doing little kicks and punches that Wes had taught him over the past few weeks.

"Yeah, he's a natural." Wes smiled. "Just like his mother." Wes felt his father grip his shoulder, knowing that it had been hard for him learning about Jen and having to finally move on with his life. "I'm okay, Dad."

"I know, but I'm here for you if you ever need to talk."

"Thanks."

He looked at his watch. "Well, I need to be heading to the office, big meeting today."

"Okay, see you when you get home." Wes waved to his father and watched him enter back into the house. He turned back and watched his son move so quickly and gracefully, full of skills beyond his years; not just any five year old could move the way his son did.

Wes had only witnessed on a few occasions Schuyler's powers. At first, like any parent, it scared him to death, but he soon saw that as young as his son was it didn't scare him and through that Wes was able to overcome his own fears. In time Wes knew his son would be able to harness the power and with it do great things.

"How am I doing, Dad?"

"You're doing great, son, keep it up." Wes smiled and continued to watch as his son went over the moves like he could go on forever, just like his mother. Wes just hoped that his son would learn to have a little fun too.

Wes remembered when he first met Jen she was all work and no play, but with some pushing, on his part mostly, he was able to get her to unwind. _Jen…_ Wes sighed. Sky had only spent five years getting to know his mother, before she died. Wes considered himself lucky he had been eleven when his mother passed away. He found it almost ironic, like history was repeating itself. Although this time around things were more complicated, maybe even more heartbreaking…

"Not too bad, for a little guy."

Wes snapped out of his thoughts. _I know that voice._ Wes turned around and was face to face with an old friend. "Conner." Wes patted the young man on the back. "It's great to see you. What are you doing here, not that I'm not happy to see you?"

"Well, I was out visiting Tommy for a couple of days." Conner bit his lip and suddenly felt uncomfortable. "He told me what happened. I'm sorry." It nearly broke Conner's heart when he heard about Jen, about a year ago he had been the one rooting for Wes and Jen to be able to stay with each other, but it all turned out to be wishful thinking. "I know how much you both loved each other."

"Thanks. That means a lot. It's hard, but I've got to go on with life."

"Yeah." Conner glanced over at Sky. "Especially for him."

"Yeah. He's a pretty good kid."

Conner nodded his head. "Oh, before I forget, Dr. O wanted me to give you this. Alex had left it with him. He was going to come out here this week, but something came up." He pulled the box out of his bag and handed it to Wes.

Wes grinned. "You're still calling him Dr. O?"

"Old habits die hard."

"Ain't that the truth." Wes set the box down on a table and started to open it. "You know what it is?"

"No, he wouldn't tell me."

Wes opened the box and found an urn, which right away he assumed held Jen's ashes.

Conner's eyes widened. "And now I know why he didn't tell me. No offense."

Wes didn't answer; he was too content with the contents in the box. He set the urn down and then reached down and found a small object in the box. He held it in his hands just staring at it for what seemed like forever. It was the ring he had given her when he had asked her to marry him.

"Jen's ring."

"Yeah," answered Wes softly.

"Looks pretty worn, she must have never taken it off."

"Yeah," Wes sighed. "Hey, could you keep an eye on him for me, there's something I got to do." Before Conner could say another word Wes was gone, taking the ring and vase with him.

"Great, how do I get myself into these kinds of situations," Conner muttered as he walked up to Sky. "Hey, kid-o."

Sky stopped his routine and searched around. "Where's my dad?"

"He had to go do something, but he'll be right back." Conner then bent down to eye level. "In the meantime we get to hang out, I'm Conner."

"I know who you are, I watched your soccer games on TV with my dad."

"Really?" Conner grinned. "What do you think?"

"I think you need to work on your kicks and angle them a little better."

"Great, a little Alex, just what I need," mumbled Connor.

Sky looked at Conner, confused. _Who's Alex?_ But before he could say anything Eric and Hayley came walking up to them.

"That's my nephew all right," announced Eric.

Conner turned around. "You're just happy that Junior has picked up some of your attitude," remarked Conner.

"It's real nice to see you too, Connor."

"Oh, will you two stop it, we haven't even been here for two minutes and you're already going at each other throats."

"I guess that's because he's missed me so much." Conner grinned and crossed his arm against his chest.

"Yeah, missed pushing you around!" Eric got right into Connor's face, having a stare down.

Hayley sighed and took Sky to the side. "Come on Schuyler, let's go start lunch. Those two haven't seen each other for a while." Sky and Hayley walked into the house, leaving Eric and Conner to catch up on lost brotherly arguing.

* * *

Wes walked along the beach until he came upon a spot where he could sit down and just stare at the water, watching the waves hit the shore and the birds flying over it. It was a beautiful sight, much like how it was above on the clock tower.

In his lap he held the urn with Jen's ashes and in his hand he held tightly onto the ring. Having these significant items of belonging, made it all the more real that Jen was truly gone. Up until now he could just pretend she was fine, that she was in the future, just like she always was, but now… There would be no messages from the future, no one coming to stop some mutant criminal or stop something that could change the timeline.

"I guess I should say something meaningful, but..." Wes sighed, staring at the ring in his hands. "I never thought this would happen, at least not any time soon. I guess I always thought I'd see you again." Wes stared off into the water. "I should have known better." A breeze of wind blew by and a piece of paper that had been taped to the vase blew off, but before it could get too far Wes caught it and unfolded it.

_Dear Wes,_

_There's so much I want to tell you. So much I still wanted to do. First off I should tell you how sorry I am, for not telling you the truth about my pregnancy and for lying to you when you asked about Alex. I only hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I only wish I could have told you all of this in person, but as we both have learned, sometimes things don't always work out the way we want them to._

_I guess that's how life is, you never know what's going to happen in the future and sometimes no matter how hard you try you can't always change the inevitable. I want you to know that I only married Alex to help protect Sky, to protect our son. I'm sure Alex told you, but I thought you should hear it from me. And I also want you to know that a day didn't go by that I didn't think of you or stopped loving you. And I'll wait for you until we can be together again, this time forever, but until then you need to raise our son. He's going to need you when I'm gone and Alex is no longer in his life._

_I know it's a big responsibility and that you have missed out on a lot, but as time goes on I know you'll make a great father. You were always kind hearted, loving, and always willing to help others, no matter what the cost. I know you'll do just fine and that your father and Eric won't be too far behind to give you a hand. _

_I wish you the best life possible, Wes, all I want is for you to be happy, to find someone who will help raise our son and will love you both as much as I did. I'll love you forever._

_Love,_

_Jen..._

A few tears ran down Wes's cheek; in some ways the special letter brought ease and joy to his heart. They might not have been able to say goodbye to each other face to face, but he would always have this, knowing that in her last moments her thoughts were of him and the love they had once and would always share.

"Hey," Wes turned around and found Lisa standing behind him. It was beyond him why she kept sticking around, after all that had happened between them. He felt he didn't deserve her friendship, her kindness or even her love.

She smiled at him. "We've got to stop meeting like this."

Wes grinned. "Or I've got to come up with a different spot to sort out my feelings."

Lisa sat down next to him and her eyes fell onto the things Wes was holding onto, the urn, the note and the ring. "Is that-"

"Yeah." Wes's eyes fell onto the note and he began rereading it once more. "She wrote me this before she…well you know."

"What'd she say?"

"That she was sorry for the way things happened. That she still loved me, wanted me to take good care of Sky. And wanted me to be happy, move on, maybe even find someone else to spend my life with." He stopped and stared her right in the eyes. He would always love Jen, but there was a part of him that had always loved Lisa, he was just still so much in love with Jen to see it.

"How do you feel about that?" She knew this was hard for him. She knew she would never be able to take the place of Jen. Wes would always love Jen more, but that never stopped her from caring for Wes.

"I-I don't know." He sighed. "I just need a little time, to figure things out and with Sky-"

"I understand." She took Wes's hand in hers. "Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere."

"Thanks." Wes smiled and squeezed her hand gently. Perhaps things hadn't worked out for them the first time for a reason, maybe at that time he needed to have his time with Jen, bring Sky into the world and had to learn what it meant to let go of something he wanted so much. "Would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight, so you can get to know Sky a little better?"

"I'd love to." She stood up, slowly letting go of his hand. "I'll see you later tonight."

"That'll be great." Wes watched her leave and then turned back and looked at the ocean. It was a big step to a new beginning, but at least now he was finally moving on with his life. He would never forget Jen, she was his soul mate and always would be, but until they could be together again he knew she would want him to be happy and go on with life, even if that meant spending his life with someone else.

Wes held her ashes in his hand. "I'll love you always."

* * *

The next day Wes and Sky stood out on the beach on a bright sunny day. Wes handed his son the urn with Jen's ashes. In his heart Wes knew this is where she would want to be, their special place, the place where they both had declared their love for each other. Very few words were said, as they spread her ashes along the beach and ocean shore.

Up above at the top Lisa watched from a distance, knowing they needed to be alone for this moment. She had never met Jen, only knew her from the few pictures Wes had of her and from what Sky and Wes had told her about her, but she felt like she knew her. And a overwhelming feeling came over her, knowing she would be the one to look after them until they would be reunited with Jen; she wasn't sure if she was up to the challenge. It was a big spot to fill, she would never be Jen, she would never be able to replace her, but maybe she could help see them through and help them go on living.

Wes picked his son up and they stared off into the ocean blue, watching as birds flew high above.

"Dad?"

"Yes."

"Do you think Mom watches over us?"

"I know she does."

"Dad?"

"Yes, son."

"I like Lisa, she's nice."

Wes smiled. He wasn't sure how his son would react to having her around, him spending time with her. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"Do you think that maybe someday, she could be like my mother?"

His son seemed to be taking things better than he was. "Maybe," he answered softly. "You would be okay with that?"

"Ah uh, Mommy said she wanted you to be happy. You're happy when Lisa's around."

It wasn't until now that Wes realized his son was right. He did seem happier when Lisa was around, and as the days had gone by he was starting to feel less guilty about spending time with Lisa. Wes turned around and found Lisa still standing where they had left her waiting by the truck. "Why don't we see if she wants to go out to lunch with us and then maybe a movie?"

"Yeah. That be great!" Sky's eyes lit up with joy and happiness. Wes set him back down on the sand and Sky went racing over to Lisa. "Lisa, you want to go to lunch and a movie with us?"

Lisa smiled and glanced over at Wes, who gave a nod and smile. "I'd love to."

"Yeah!" Sky turned around to face his father. "Did you hear that, Dad?"

"Yep, I sure did." Wes smiled, life might not have worked out the way he wanted it to, but maybe life had something else in store, something better. "Come on, we should get going before the lunch rush hour." Wes opened the back seat and got his son situated in the back and then he walked Lisa over to the front seat and helped her in before getting into the truck himself and started their journey.


	17. Letting Go

"It's a girl," said the doctor. "A very healthy girl." Within a few minutes, the newly born girl was cleaned up and placed in Andros' arms, who gently placed his daughter in Ashley's arms.

"She's so beautiful." Ashley held her daughter close to her, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, just like her mother." Andros caressed Ashley's cheek gently and kissed her softly and then planted a gentle kiss on his daughter's head. "What should we call her?"

"How about Mora?"

"Mora?" Andros smiled. "I like that."

"Then Mora it is." Ashley smiled.

"I can't wait to get back to Earth, to show Karone and Zhane their niece."

"Yeah. It'll be great to get back home." Ashley yawned heavily. "All this traveling does me in."

"You're tired. Not surprising after what you've been through." Andros gently picked up his daughter. "Here, I'll hold her a bit, you get some rest."

"Thanks. I love you, Andros."

"And I love you." Andros watched as Ashley closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. "And I love you as well, my little Mora." He cradled her in his arms until she too fell asleep. "Sleep well my little one."

Everything seemed perfect. He was happily married. His wife had just given birth to their first child. He had everything going for him and believed that there was nothing in this universe that could change all that, but unbeknown to him, life would have some life altering effects. And things would never be the same again….

* * *

Elsewhere, back on Earth, it had been close to a year now since Sky entered into Wes's life. And things had only been going well for Wes and Sky, as well as for Wes and Lisa, who were moving steady in their new relationship, just one day at a time.

As for Eric and Hayley, who had been married a little over five months now, marriage had seemed to be moving along quite nicely. Due to the fact they both had frustrating jobs, that did put some weight on the marriage, but together they were able to work around their schedules to spend some time together.

"Okay, and kick!" Wes held the foamy kick pad in front of his son, and felt it as Sky kicked the pad as hard as he could. Wes jokingly fell over. "Man you're strong. I think you almost broke my hand."

"Dad, come on. I didn't kick it that hard."

Wes sat up. "You sure?" He laughed and threw a few fake punches at his son. "Because I'm pretty sure you did!" Wes grabbed his son and began tickling him.

Sky laughed. "Dad stop!" Wes laughed and continued to tickle his son and roll around on the grass with him.

"Now here's something I thought I'd never see, Wes rolling around in the dirt."

"Hey Eric, what are you doing here? It's Sunday." Normally that's when Eric and Hayley were able to have some alone time.

"Hi, Uncle Eric." Sky managed to pull himself away from his father and stood up. Wes stood up and brushed the dirt and grass off his pants.

"Hey bud." Eric then glanced to Wes. "I just got a call from the base in NewTech City, they need us to check out something, a disturbance of some sort."

"Oh okay." Wes knelt down in front of his son. "We'll finish your workout later. Dad's got to go to work."

"Okay. You going to get some bad guys, Dad?"

Wes laughed and hugged his son. "I'm going to try. Be good for Philips and your grandpa."

"I will. Promise."

"Catch you later, Sky." Eric waved goodbye and followed Wes out to the front of the driveway.

* * *

Later that night, Sky was lying in his bed. It was late and his father still wasn't home, he had started to worry at dinner time, but both Philips and his grandfather assured him that his father was fine and would be home as soon as he could.

Sky heard the slamming of a door. He looked out his window and saw Eric's truck and his father standing outside of it. He jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs as quickly as he could.

Wes walked in limping slightly. It had been a hard fight, mostly of gangs. "Dad!" Wes turned around and quickly stood up straight, not wanting to let his son know he had been hurt. "Hey, kiddo." Wes picked his son up, as Sky went running into his arms. "How's my boy?"

"Great. Did you get the bad guys?"

"Sure did."

"Yeah. I knew you would." Sky smiled brightly. "You always get the bad guys. No one's better than you, Dad."

Wes smiled. He had come to love this, coming home from work and having Sky to always welcome him home. He looked at his watch, it was 2 AM. "It's way past your bedtime." Wes smiled. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Wes started towards the stairs and began to walk up them with Sky in his arms, but Sky could almost sense that something was wrong. His father looked to be in pain. "Dad, are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?"

"Me get hurt?" He smiled faintly. "Nothing can hurt me," he lied. After that Sky didn't answer, his eyes became heavy and he was already asleep in his father's arms by the time they came to Sky's bed room.

Wes gently placed his son back into the bed, pulled the sheets on top of him and kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight my son." Wes walked out of the room, and silently closed the door behind him, but not before taking a glance back, watching his son sleep soundly and praying that there would be many more nights like this one.

Wes walked into his bedroom and sat down on his bed, taking his shoes and socks off; he winced in pain as he pulled one sock off. He rolled up his pants a little to reveal a small gash wound. The bleeding had mostly stopped. He got up and limped into the bathroom to rub some alcohol on his wound, wincing in pain as it stung and burned a little. He wrapped a bandage around it and then got ready for bed.

* * *

"Eric, it's too high. Sky won't be able to reach that," announced Wes, as he and Eric were hooking up the junior punching bag for Sky out back of the Collins mansion.

"He's a growing boy, Wes," He turned to Sky. "Right, Sky, show your old man what you can do."

Sky went up to it and did a jump side kick, kicking the bag right on target. Eric grinned, crossing his arms against his chest. "See?"

"Very funny."

"Looks like someone has been having their own training sessions," said Lisa.

"Yeah. Now I know where you were all those nights you came home late," added Hayley.

"Hey, the kid's got promise. I'm just helping him along the way."

"Ah huh." Hayley leaned closer to Eric. "I wish you'd give me that much attention."

"I promise I'll make it up to you later tonight." Eric leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Okay that's enough, we got a little one around," announced Wes.

"I don't mind. It's not like it's nothing I haven't seen."

Wes turned to his son, smiling. "What do you mean?" He laughed and started to tickle his son and mess with his hair. "Have you been spying on me and Lisa?"

Sky laughed. "No, Dad." He laughed again. "Stop. Dad!" Sky found an opportunity and broke away and went running right behind Eric. "Uncle Eric, help!"

"Okay." Eric grinned and whipped around and slung Sky right into his arms. "I got him, Wes!" The two then began to tickle him.

"Hey no, fair!" Sky laughed.

"Yeah guys. Very childish." Hayley started to lean towards Eric and began to work her magic on him. "Picking on the little guy."

"Yeah, two against one, not very fair odds," added Lisa as she wrapped her arms around Wes, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Hey no fair, no girls intervening," announced Wes.

Eric loosened his grip and Sky dropped back down to the ground on his two feet, as Hayley tightened her arms around Eric's neck and kissed him deeply. "You're going to pay for that."

She grinned. "I know."

Wes smiled and wrapped his arm around Lisa and kissed her lightly on the lips, and let her lean into him laying her head on his shoulder. Sky moved closer to his dad, looking up at him. He was happy to see his father happy. It felt as if life couldn't get any better than this.

* * *

Wes and Eric were out on patrol; everything had been fairly quiet in Silver Hills, and they hadn't gotten any calls from NewTech City, needing any assistance.

"So when'd you find out?" asked Wes.

"A few days ago."

"You don't sound too thrilled."

"I'm happy. It's just-" Eric shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know if I'm the right guy to be a father to anyone. I didn't exactly grow up in a stable environment."

"Come on, are you kidding me? Eric you'll do just fine, you're great with Sky."

"Being an uncle and a father are two entirely different things."

"True." Wes patted Eric on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it; besides, I'm always around if you need to talk. I'm not exactly far from being new at this myself."

"Thanks." Eric knew he wasn't alone in this, the whole experience of being a father. Wes had only been a father for a year, but it seemed almost longer then that, as if Wes had always had it in him. "So…..have you asked her?"

"Knew you were going to change the subject."

"You've been going on about this for the past week, why don't you just ask her and get it over with?"

"I still need to double check with someone."

"Oh, you know Sky's crazy about her."

Wes sighed. "It's not Sky I was referring to."

"Oh..." Eric smiled faintly. "I'm sure she'd want you to be happy."

"Yeah, I know, but…"

"Yeah." Eric understood well enough to know what Wes and Jen had was special and nothing would ever change that. They shared something that bonded them for eternity.

"So is it a boy or a girl?"

"Now who's changing the subject?"

* * *

Wes walked along the beach alone. It had been a while since he was last here, in fact he hadn't been here since he and Sky spread Jen's ashes. And yet, it seemed just like yesterday he was here.

"Hey Jen. I don't know if you can hear me, well at least I think you can; hope you can." Wes bit his lip, he still felt a pang of hurt in his heart every time he thought of her, and said her name. The undying pain of what could have been… "I want you to know Sky's been doing great, he'll be starting Kindergarten soon. I promise he won't go to any of those big boarding schools, maybe a nice private school close to home. Haven't decided yet." He sighed heavily watching as the seagulls swung above the water.

Wes sighed again, hoping that doing this would take the feeling of guilt off his shoulders. "He would have come with me, but Dad wanted to show him around Bio-Lab." Wes smiled. "Don't worry. I don't think he has any hidden plans of planting the idea into Sky of taking it over or anything like that. My dad's actually been great through all of this, helping me. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for him." Wes put his hand into his pocket and pulled out an engagement ring, playing around with it. He looked up to the sky, feeling the cool breeze. "It's not yours. I'm planning on giving Sky your ring, someday." He smiled faintly. "Maybe he'll have better luck with it."

"I guess the reason I came here, is to make sure you're okay with this. Lisa and I, we've been together for about a year, moving slow, but I think it's getting to that point." Wes bit his lip. "I know in the letter you said you wanted me to be happy, move on. I just don't want you to think she's replacing you, because she's not, and she knows that." He sighed heavily. "I'll never love anyone the way I loved you, Jen, no one could ever take your place." He looked up again. "You're okay with this, right? Maybe you could give me some sort of sign, or something. Anything?" A few moments passed and nothing happened. Wes was about to head back up towards his bike when a pigeon flew down next to him.

Wes smiled. "A pigeon?" He laughed. "I guess it only seems fitting; after all, that's when I knew I would really miss you." That was back on the rooftop of the clock tower, back before they told each other how they really felt about each other. "I love you Jen. I'll always love you, no matter what happens."


	18. Conflict

"Oh, she's beautiful, Andros!" Karone held her three month old niece in her arms, rocking her back in forth in the rocking chair. Andros and Ashley had arrived back home just a few hours ago.

"Yeah. Prettiest baby girl in the world." Andros stood over his sister's shoulder smiling down at his daughter, feeling like he was the happiest man in the world.

Zhane stood back a few feet watching closing, staring his young niece in the eyes.

Mora then began to fuss. Ashley got up from the couch. "Someone's hungry." Ashley carefully took her daughter from Karone and walked up stairs to the nursery.

"How does it feel being a dad?"

"It feels great. Better than I could ever imagine."

"Don't mean to be the one to break the mood, but haven't you noticed anything strange about her?"

"Zhane!" yelled Karone.

Andros became violently upset. "What do you mean, strange? That's your niece you're talking about."

"I _know_!" Zhane was very direct and he kept his voice down, so Ashley couldn't hear from upstairs. "But Andros, Mora's half Koranian and half Earthling, she's different - and there's something else."

"What's that supposed to mean? So what if she's half and half?" Andros couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I thought you would be happy that Ashley and I had a baby, but you're acting as if it was a big mistake."

"No. That's not it. I'm happy for you." Zhane sighed. "I'm just saying, there's something off."

"What? What is it? What's off?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? God, Zhane, why do you always have to be like this?" Andros became frustrated and angry. "For once can't you be happy for me?"

"Guys, please!" Karone had finally had about enough. "This isn't the time."

"What's going on, guys, it sounded like there was a fight?" announced Ashley, walking into the living room.

Zhane and Andros glanced at one another. "It was nothing," stated Zhane.

"Just a misunderstanding," finished Andros.

Ashley looked to Karone for an answer, but she just shyly turned away her head. "Okay," announced Ashley accepting that nothing was wrong, for now anyways.

* * *

In the nursery little Mora lay in her crib, with her stuffed yarn-made doll with long black hair and button eyes, a gift that had been given to her at the hospital on KO-35. Little Mora used the ability that she had gotten from her father of being able to move objects. The doll floated in the air above her, looking right at her, as if someone from far away was watching...

Hidden dark in the shadows... "Yes, it won't be long, soon my plans will come into order." He laughed darkly, watching as the innocent child fell into a deep sleep. "Sleep soundly, child, for soon you will be mine."

* * *

Over the next couple of months, Andros and the gang worked hard in NewTech City getting everything taken care of, things had moved along rather more quickly than expected and they were already able to make visual contact with all allied planets.

Andros remained in contact with Wes, Eric and Mr. Collins. He had learned quite recently Wes and Lisa had gotten married and that Eric and Hayley would be expecting their first born within four months. But recently Andros had been getting several calls from Commander Cruger, saying that the attacks had been more frequent than they had been in the past, and they might soon need to send for reinforcements.

With which Andros would be glad to comply, but there was the matter of his now five month old daughter, and then the problem concerning Zhane, who still was still saying he believed that there was something wrong with her. Andros would have liked to send Zhane through the next brick wall, but knew his sister wouldn't quite like the idea. Then again, Zhane's persistence concerned him; maybe there was something wrong and he was just too blind to see it, or maybe he was just being paranoid again.

"Working hard again?" asked Ashley. "As usual." She walked up behind him carrying Mora and her doll.

Andros pulled away from the computer and turned around to have his wife place their daughter in his arms, along with the doll. "Still doesn't go anywhere without the doll?"

Ashley grinned. "She always makes a fuss if I don't bring it along."

Andros smiled. "Hate to think what she'd do if something ever happened to it."

Ashley laughed. "I know. We probably wouldn't get any sleep."

Andros chuckled. "Yeah. Do you remember who gave her the doll? I'd like to thank them," he said jokingly.

"No. I'm sure it was one of the nurses or doctors."

"Probably."

"So, have you and Zhane talked since your last fight?" she asked, full of concern. She'd hate for all of this to ruin their relationship, the two were almost brothers, had known each other for years. And to have it all come to an end over a fight about Mora would be heartbreaking.

"I-"

_"Andros, this is Commander Cruger, do you read? This is an emergency."_

Andros's heart skipped a beat; he swung his chair around, holding onto Mora tightly. She began to cry and Ashley quickly picked her up, assuring her that everything was all right.

"It's okay, honey."

"Commander Cruger, come in. I read you." A scratchy picture appeared on the screen, with Commander Cruger's face, full of distress.

_"Good. I'm afraid I have bad news. Grumm, General Bengaag and an army of their troops are headed straight towards Sirius. We need reinforcements. Can you come?"_

"Of course. Should I contact Commanders Myers and Collins?"

_"No. No time, just your team. Please hurry!"_ The connection went out.

"Commander Cruger?" But there was no answer. Andros' heart raced, this was it. The battle was near. He jumped from his seat. "Come on, we have to gather the others!" He rushed towards the break room. "We don't have much time."

* * *

"Andros, will you be reasonable for once," pleaded Zhane, as they loaded the megaship full of medical supplies and weapons. "She's just a few months old, traveling halfway across the universe is no place for a baby."

"He does have a point. You can leave her with us, Andros, she'll be fine," added Karone.

"No way. Out of the question!" Although Andros had no problem with placing his daughter in his sister's care, Zhane was a whole other story. "Mora's too young to be without her mother, and besides," He stared coldly at Zhane, "last I checked you didn't even like your niece."

"Oh boy, they're at it again." TJ swatted Carlos on the back. "Come on Carlos, I think there's a few more boxes out front."

"Anything to get away from those two," sighed Carlos, who was starting to get annoyed with the two always arguing. "And to think I thought my cousins were bad."

"Hey, wait up for me," called Cassie, running after the two. "Last time they were at it, somehow I got involved in it."

"I never said I didn't like her. I love her to death, but something doesn't feel right about this. All of this. I think it's too dangerous, for you and the others."

"We have our orders, Zhane," Andros stated, being very serious. "In case you haven't forgotten, Commander Cruger is our commanding officer, so I and the others are going. And whether you like it our not, my daughter is coming with us." He looked him hard in the eyes. "Is that understood?"

Zhane got right into Andros' face. "You arrogant son of a-"

"Are you two at it again!" yelled Ashley, now entering into the garage with a baby harness attached around her waist. Mora held her doll in her hands. "Will you two grow up? This is starting to get old."

"That goes for both of us," joined in Karone.

Zhane just shook his head, knowing Andros was way too stubborn to reason with. "Have a safe mission and don't blow yourself up!" Zhane stormed off and nearly ran right into Ashley.

Karone sighed heavily, knowing they were not getting off to a very good start of preparing for the mission and saying goodbye. "I'll go talk to him." She turned to her brother, gave him a quick hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Be careful."

Andros forced a smile. "Aren't I always?"

Karone smiled and made her way over to Ashley. "You be careful too, and don't let anything happen to my little niece."

"That's my job." Ashley smiled and hugged Karone goodbye, with Mora joining in on the hug. "I'll talk to Andros. Hopefully when we get back he and Zhane can work everything out."

"Good luck. You know how stubborn he can be, and Zhane too."

"Believe me, I know." Ashley grinned, and waved goodbye as Karone went after Zhane and to make her goodbyes to the others. She then turned towards her husband, just staring at him.

"What?"

"You know you need to drop this right now. Because what if something does happen in the future and you and Zhane never reconcile?" She glared at his unresponsive face. "Is that really how you want things to end between you and Zhane?"

Andros sighed and started towards the ship. "I'm going to check the systems, make sure everything's in order. See to it that the others are here in half an hour." He looked over his shoulder, looking at her briefly. "We don't have much time."

A half an hour later, everything was packed and it was time to go.

Karone waved goodbye, watching as they all loaded into the megaship. She had said her goodbyes, and made them each promise that they would be careful and be home as soon as they could. She watched as the hatch in the ceiling opened up, showing the night sky, and heard the ship's engines start and begin to lift off. In the pit of her stomach she began to feel what Zhane had been trying to tell Andros, that this just didn't feel right, but she assured herself it was probably nothing. Or was it?

Karone turned around to find Zhane standing a few feet behind her, watching with an overwhelming fear in his eyes. She turned back and watched as the ship lifted out of the garage heading deep into space. She held her hands tightly together. "Come back to us."

* * *

Two month before, Wes and Lisa had gotten married. She had said yes the night he asked her and both wanted to get married rather quickly, fearing that Wes's frustrating job could delay it as time progressed. With all the big developments and changes happening, there was no telling when they would have been able to find the time. Luckily things had been slow and steady for the past few months and they were able to pull it off.

It was a fairly small wedding, but nice, only a few close friends and family. Eric had been his best man and Hayley, although five month pregnant, was the maid of honor and his son Sky was the ring boy, happy as ever. He finally had the family he always wanted and Sky had a mother again; although no one could ever replace Jen, Lisa seemed to be able to fill the void that had been missing for both of them.

The honeymoon had to be put off until next year, but that didn't seem to be a problem. Besides, there was the concern of Sky, and although Wes knew his father and Philips would have no problem looking after the little guy, he just couldn't bring himself to leave him, as young as he was.

"Yeah," Wes sat at his desk talking on the phone, when Eric walked into the office. "How long ago? Okay….I understand….Keep us updated….Bye." Wes hung up his phone.

"Who was that?"

"Zhane. Andros and his team left for Sirius a few hours ago. They had gotten a call from Commander Cruger, in need of reinforcements."

"And why didn't we get called up? I could have used some action."

"Commander Cruger's message was urgent; they needed to leave right away." Wes's voice sounded like there was some distress hidden beneath it.

Eric could see right through Wes, something was wrong, very wrong. "Is something wrong?"

Wes sighed. "Andros was supposed to make contact with Zhane and his sister an hour ago, but they haven't heard from them. And he doesn't answer any of their calls, or the others."

Eric felt a cold chill go down his back. They had been expecting this. The attacks on Sirius had become more frequent. He and Wes had already undergone training for space travel. And now the time had come… "What do we do?"

This was one of those parts that Wes hated about his job. "The only thing we can do. We wait." He felt so helpless and useless. Andros and the others could be in trouble and there was nothing he could do about it. And as the minutes began to pass, his heart began to race, fearing at any moment he would receive the call that would change everything.


	19. The Battle of Sirius

The battle had been fierce, full of darkness and horror. With death in every corner, she knew it would not be long before Sirius would fall to its knees and be at the mercy of their enemy. Aisynia stayed close to young Mora, just hours before she had promised Andros and Ashley that their daughter would be kept safe.

Young Mora for the last half hour had been crying continually, sensing something was very wrong. She was in an unfamiliar place and did not recognize the kind woman dog standing near here trying to calm her down.

"Shh, Mora it's okay." She moved the little doll closer to Mora knowing it was the only thing that seemed to bring the young child comfort and reassurance. "Everything is going to be okay." Aisynia watched as Mora's cries became whimpering sleep and then watched as the child closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. "Sleep well, child, this will all be over soon." She gently rubbed Mora's head.

"Yes it will." An eerier evil entered into the room, hiding in the shadows.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" she demanded. The darkened figured stepped forward. Aisynia's eyes lit up in fear, her heart began to pound. "You!"

* * *

Carlos the black ranger wasn't sure how much time had gone by. A few minutes? A couple of hours? He couldn't tell by the blackened sky, due to the heavy, smoke filled surroundings, which made it almost impossible to breathe. The once beautiful grass filled meadow had been completely destroyed; most of the grass and flowers had been burnt to a crisp, covered now in blood and dead bodies. The trees that once stood tall were no longer standing. The few small buildings around them had broken in walls and now were burning, filling the sky with smoke. 

It didn't seem to matter how many they had taken down, it was relentless, more just kept on, coming in a killing spear, destroying everything in sight.

The last time he remembered they were under this kind of pressure, was back when the command center had been destroyed, where he and his friends nearly lost their lives. For a moment Carlos thanked God that Justin wasn't with them this time, as he looked around the dead bodies that lay around him. All brave Sirius warriors who had fought bravely right to the very end. Carlos' only hope was that he could do the same. He made a promise to himself that he would fight to his very last breath, until the very life was pulled right from him. He would not stop fighting.

"Carlos, I need your help!" cried out Cassie.

"Hang on Cass, I'm coming!" Carlos used his blaster and blasted at the enemies around him, taking only a few down and slowing down the others. He moved faster than he ever had before and joined Cassie, side-kicking and punching the surrounding Bluehead Krybots away from her, but they weren't about to go down so easily.

"Thanks. I thought they almost had me."

"You okay?" His voice was full of concern, knowing they had been fighting for so long, nonstop, without even getting a chance to take a quick breather.

"Yeah." She took a moment to gather her breath, but a moment too late. An Orangehead Krybot joined the scene and blasted right at Carlos and Cassie before the pink and black rangers could even move to avoid the blast. They had heard their friends calling their names, but it had been too late.

Cassie and Carlos hit the ground hard, harder then they ever had before, both of them could hear their teammates crying out their names, trying to get to them, but couldn't. Both of their powers began to fade in and out. They could feel their hearts racing, knowing that if they stayed demorphed they wouldn't stand a chance. It would be the end of them, for both of them.

"No, not now! I'm not ready!" Carlos cried, trying to stay in control, but he was failing. The battle had worn him down. He was losing control and soon started to feel the painful effects of a forced demorph. A quick look towards Cassie showed she was in the same state. The blast had been too much for them to handle, and not a minute later the two were back in their SPD uniforms, now torn into pieces and bloody.

Both of them attempted to push themselves to their feet, but fell right back down. They couldn't move. They couldn't fight. It was over, it really was over. They would die in battle; die as heroes, as power rangers. It would be an honorable death, but that still didn't take away the pain and the fear they both felt, for those they would be leaving behind.

"Carlos, I'm scared." Cassie turned to him, fear in her eyes, fear of knowing they didn't have much time left. The Orangehead Krybot made his way towards them along with a few Bluehead's. The other rangers tried to stop them but were unsuccessful in their heroic attempts to save their friends.

"Don't be, I'm right here with you." Carlos reached for Cassie's hand and squeezed it tightly. "It's going to be okay, Cass."

Cassie's eyes filled with tears. She began seeing her life flash before her eyes, as the blast came right at them, hitting them harder than ever before. She felt pain all over, a burning sensation. She could hear her teammates cry out to her and then she heard nothing and the pain was gone_. It was so unreal. That feeling, and then she saw a familiar face. It was the Phantom Ranger._

_"It's all right Cassie, you're safe now." His voice was calm and gentle._

_"Phantom Ranger?"_

_"Yes, it's me. It's all right, everything's fine now." He held out his hand for her to take. "Come now, it's time to go. Everyone's waiting for you."_

_"Wait, Carlos, where is he?"_

_"He's waiting for you to join him. I'll take you to him."_

_"Wait, the others. The other rangers, I need to go back to them. Help them."_

_"Everything's going to be okay, Cassie. I promise you. Please, we need to get going." _

_At first Cassie could feel the urge of wanting to go back to her friends, help them in this battle, but soon the feeling was gone and she was at peace, knowing she had done her part and knowing they would do theirs. This was the end, for a new beginning. She knew the rangers would win again one day. _

_"What's it like?"_

_"Peaceful. Better than you ever dreamed." He slowly took Cassie's hand and the two began to walk towards a bright light where they disappeared._

"No! CASSIE! CARLOS. NO!" roared Ashley, running towards her fallen friends, only to have Andros pull her away.

"They're gone, Ashley. There's nothing we can do for them." His voice was soft, filled with pain. He was the leader. He was supposed to protect them and he had failed. The last time he had felt this much guilt was back when he had to destroy Zordon in order to save hundreds of thousands or more lives. And now again years later, two of his closest friends had died in battle. "I'm sorry."

Ashley dropped to her knees, pounding her fist on the ground. "No! They can't be gone. They can't be!" she cried.

TJ took in their surroundings; the Krybots were zoning in on them. They were outnumbered a thousand to three. There was no way they could defeat them all. "Andros, we're in trouble!" Although he wanted a moment to be able to mourn for his friends, they didn't have the luxury. The battle was still going on and it wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"I know. There's just so many of them!" He was scared. Scared to death they would fail. Scared they would all lose their lives. He was the leader. He wasn't supposed to be afraid; nothing was supposed to scare him, but… In the end, when it all came down to it, he was scared just as much as they were, maybe even more.

"Don't give up rangers. They haven't beaten us yet!" roared a voice.

Andros turned around and saw Commander Cruger and an army of Sirius Warriors heading right towards them. "Commander Cruger, I..." Andros didn't even know quite what to say.

"It's all right, Andros." Cruger patted the red ranger on the shoulder. "We'll beat them; gather your team together and we'll finish them." Cruger held his shadow sword tightly in his hands. He was ready for battle, ready to fight to the very end.

"Right!" Andros gently helped his wife to her feet. "Come on Ash, we still have a job to do. Do it for Cassie and Carlos, do it for them."

She nodded her head and got to her feet, getting into a fighting stance followed by TJ and Cruger and the others. "For Cassie and Carlos," she said, as they went into battle, knowing this might very well be the last battle they would ever fight. Ashley's thoughts moved towards her daughter, hoping and praying she would be safe.

Swords clashed together, blaster blasts went off into a storming battle. Battle cries and howls were cried out, as the storm continued to reign on, battle ships flew above them blasting everything in sight. Until there was a massive explosion taking everything with it out of sight, until only darkness was left and then…

* * *

"Noo!" Zhane yelled and jolted up from his sleep. His body was covered in sweat; his heart was pounding. He took a few moments to gather his breath and then turned to his nightstand and looked at his clock. It was 1 AM. He ran his hand over his face and pulled the covers off of him. 

He walked out back onto the porch of their four bedroom apartment and found Karone standing near the railing rubbing her arms. "It's a bit chilly, you should come inside." He wrapped his arms around her.

"In a minute." She leaned against him. "Your heart's racing."

"Just a bad dream." He gently kissed her head. "It's nothing."

She turned around in his arms until she was face to face with him. "You can't lie to me, Zhane."

He smiled faintly. "Just worried is all. It isn't like them not to answer our calls."

"I'm sure everything's fine, Zhane. Something probably just came up." But in the back of her mind she was feeling and fearing the same thing, but one of them needed to be strong. Hope for the best, hope that everything would be fine and that at any minute they would hear Andros's voice.

He didn't answer, just stared into her face blankly, not knowing what to do or say.

"Come on, let's go back to bed." She kissed him gently on the lips and took his hand in hers and led him back inside, to get a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

Where was he? What had happened? He tried to move, but couldn't. Slowly he opened his eyes to a horrifying sight. In the distance he could see buildings burning away to nothing. "Oh no." He tried to push himself up but was unable to. "TJ, Ash, what happened?" He turned to his friends who were lying next to him, but no answer came from them. 'No!" He cried their names again, but still no answer. "No..." He felt sick to his stomach and gagged and spit up, a fighting red color, blood. He ran his hand over his mouth to double check, maybe he was seeing things, but he wasn't, it was blood. 

He quickly turned to his other side, knowing that was the last place he had seen Ashley. "Ashley," he cried her name, but like the others, she didn't answer, only stared at him with a lifeless gaze. "No. No. Ashley," he cried, as hot tears ran down his cheeks. With the little strength he had left, he moved himself towards her, crawling little by little, ignoring the intense pain he felt each time he moved.

He hadn't noticed the lifeless bodies of the Sirius warriors around him, all that mattered was Ashley, his wife, his best friend, the person he loved more than anything, was gone. "No. No!"

"Oh, what's wrong, ranger, everyone you love and care for is gone?"

A dark shadow loomed over Andros. "You! You did this." Andros rolled himself over and looked into the eyes of his enemy. "Grumm!" he snarled and attempted to lash out at him, but only to be lifted by Grumm, hanging a few feet above the ground.

"You really are pathetic, ranger, not even worthy of killing." Grumm snickered into Andros' face and then threw him to the ground.

"Ahh," Andros cried out in pain; it was all over. He was sure he had more than a few broken bones, but he wasn't about to give up. "You won't win. There will be others after me." He pushed himself up into a sitting position against a broken-down wall. "They'll stop you!"

"Yes. I've heard about them. Children." Grumm laughed when he saw the confused and shocked look come across Andros' face. "You really should have listened to your young friend." He moved closer to Andros until he was standing just above him. "Then maybe you could have saved her." Grumm then flung a small object into Andros' lap.

Andros eyed the small object and a chill went down his back. His heart began racing faster and faster. The object that Grumm had given him was a small button, a button that belonged to his daughter's favorite toy. "The doll. It was the doll." He stared up at him. "It was you."

"Yes. It was me. I've been planning this. It was quite simple really, all I had to do was disguise myself as a doctor and it was over." He laughed. "I'll take good care of her. Although once they're done with her, she'll be very different from the infant she is now."

"You're not going to touch her!" Andros, in a blind rage, attempted to strike Grumm, only to fall right onto his face.

"I'm afraid you won't be around for much longer to stop me." Grumm pulled out a blaster and pointed it right at Andros' face.

Andros stared right into the blaster. This was it. This is how it would all end for him. He felt some relief that he soon would be rejoined with his friends and Ashley, but felt the bitter pain of leaving his daughter behind to this monster, and not knowing what would become of her. He only hoped that somehow, some amount of good would remain in her. Then his thoughts were of Zhane and how things had ended so bitterly between them. "Forgive me, old friend. Take care of Karone for me," he whispered softly. And then he heard the blast and then nothing……

* * *

Zhane was sitting in the SPD Command Center going over reports when the communication screen opened. An older man's face appeared on the screen. It was King Kinwon. "King Kinwon, I wasn't expecting to be hearing from you until tomorrow." 

"Yes, I... I know, my boy." Kinwon sighed heavily, his eyes were weary and full of heartbreak. "Is Karone with you?"

"Um, no, she's back at the apartment getting some rest. Why?" And then Zhane saw it, written all over Kinwon's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. I just received word from Mirinoi, which has received a distress signal from Sirius. The planet was defeated." His voice was soft and gentle but on the verge of breaking.

Zhane held himself together long enough to get his question out. "They're all right, aren't they? Andros… Ashley… Carlos… TJ… Cassie. Tell me they're all right."

The old king swallowed hard, knowing what Zhane was going through. "I'm sorry, Zhane."

"No!" he cried, feeling tears rush down his cheeks. He didn't want to believe it. This had to be a bad dream. They couldn't be, they couldn't be gone. "No..."

Kinwon bit his lips hard. He hated having to tell Zhane like this, and the worst was yet to come. "I'm afraid there's more."

"What could be worse than this?"

"….I'm afraid that it seems that your niece may have perished as well or may have been taken by Grumm's forces. The details are still unclear. We'll know more once the rescue team returns."

"Search team, you mean." His eyes were red and watering. "Right?"

Kinwon's face fell. "I'm afraid there was only one survivor. Commander Cruger is the only survivor of Sirius. He'll be taken to Mirinoi and later will go to Earth, and be in hiding for sometime."

This had to be some mistake, no one could have defeated all the Sirius Warriors and Andros and the others. "Are they sure? Maybe-"

"I'm truly sorry, Zhane, truly I am, but I'm afraid it is all true. I wish it wasn't." For a moment Kinwon just stared at Zhane's saddened and tearing face, and began feeling his heart break all over again. "I'll make the arrangements and send someone to contact the ranger families-"

"..No I'll do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It would be better coming from me, they know me."

"Of course." Kinwon sighed. "I'll contact you in the morning. Again I'm sorry Zhane. The rangers were true heroes."

"Yes. Yes they were." The communication screen went blank and Zhane was left alone in the room, feeling more alone than he'd ever felt before. He had always known there was a chance something could happen, but he never suspected it would ever come true. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed home. "Hey, Karone, don't go anywhere. I'm on my way home, we… we need to talk. No, when I get home… Okay… See you in a few." He set his phone down and then he lost it, breaking down in uncontrollable tears, breathing heavily.


	20. Sirius Defeated

_He had waked up in darkness; lying down flat on his chest, hand still clenched around his sword. He pushed himself up and almost felt his heart stop. It was all gone. Nothing was left. The once proud buildings were torn apart, broken into little pieces. The trees, the flowers, all of it…gone. "No..." He stood up, looking around, for anyone, any sign of life. _

_There had to be more. He couldn't be all that was left. But whereever he looked lay the body of one of his comrades, his friends, his brothers, everyone. He walked around searching, hoping to find someone, anyone. He staggered and limped as he carefully walked around the dead, but there were so many. It was a graveyard wherever he stepped and then, that was when he saw them. His team, they had gotten separated. "No!" He ran towards them. "They can't be..."_

_He dropped to his knees in front of __Andros__' lifeless body, lying limp and broken. The old dog bowed his head sadly, and gently closed __Andros__' eyes to never open again. He didn't even bother to check the others, Ashley, TJ and Cassie, they were gone. All of them were gone, the only human casualties of Sirius, they and their two teammates who had died hours before. "I failed. I've failed all of you."_

_Cruger didn't know how long it took him to get back to the command base, or what was left of it. He searched for survivors, but just as before, found none. Only the dead, women, men, and children, none of them had stood a chance. "Aisynia!" he cried out over and over, calling his wife's name, hoping that by some chance she had survived._

_A darker evil laughter emerged behind Cruger. "You won't find her here, Doggie Cruger." _

_"General Benaag, I should have known." Cruger turned around, growling furiously. "Where is my wife? What have you done with her and the human child Mora?" he demanded. _

_"I'm afraid I can't help you there."_

_"I'll cut your throat!" Cruger started to approach him, drawing his sword._

_"Ah uh, kill me and you'll never know what happened." Benaag laughed at Cruger's hesitant face. "Coward," he laughed, and stepped away. "You live for now, but one day I'll come for you and we'll finish this for good." Benaag then used his transporter and disappeared._

_"No! Come back here, we're not through," he roared loudly. "NO!" _

"Commander Cruger. Sir, we're ready to go." Mike gently placed his hand on Cruger's shoulder.

Cruger sighed, snapping out of his thoughts, taking one last look at his home, for probably the last time. "Did you recover their bodies?"

"Yes. All five." Mike sighed heavily. It had been hard, maybe one of the hardest things he had ever done; recovering the bodies of old friends who had helped him, and his brother's friends, in more ways than one over the years. "And like you asked, we left the others untouched."

"Good. This is where they should remain, for all time." Cruger looked down at his sword he had been holding tightly in his hands. And in that moment he made a promise to himself, never to draw his sword _ever again_. "Let's go."

Mike nodded his head and handed Cruger a long cloak. "Okay people, let's move out." Mike walked up ahead to make sure everything was in order, while Cruger put the cloak over his massive body, and slowly made his way towards the ship, with the feeling of knowing he had no place to call home.

* * *

"Come on Dad, throw it harder," yelled Sky, as he tossed the ball back to Wes.

"Okay. Here's a fast one." Wes pitched a fast ball to his son. The ball went over his son's head. Sky tried to catch it, but just missed it by an inch.

"Wow. That was awesome, Dad!" Sky watched as the ball flew all the way over to the garden. "I'll get it," he yelled as he ran after the ball.

"Okay." Wes grinned, watching as his son chased after the ball. He could hardly believe it had been close to two years now. It seemed just like yesterday since Sky had entered into his life and changed it forever, for the better. He might not have been there to see him born, to see his first step and hear his first words, but he knew he would be here for everything else. Sky had started his first year in school and loved every minute of it, and had already made tons of friends. And there would be other things that would follow, being a teenager, learning to drive a car, first girlfriend and much more.

Yet at times he couldn't help but feel guilty that Jen couldn't be here to see their son grow up, but Wes felt she was always with them, watching over them. Wes heard the back door open; it was Lisa, his wife, coming out to join him. "Hey honey, come out to throw a few fast ones?" asked Wes.

Lisa's face was stricken with sadness. The bright smile on Wes's face faded away and he felt a lump in his throat. "What is it?"

"Zhane called." She bowed her head down, sighing. "Sirius was defeated."

"Andros…"

She shook her head, not saying a word; although she didn't know Andros and the others very well, the devastating story would be too much for anyone to handle.

Wes sighed heavily. "Ah, man." He ran his hand over his face and an overwhelming feeling came over him - with Andros and the others gone, there were going to be some big changes happening, changes that would affect them all.

"I got it, Dad," yelled Sky as he ran up to his father carrying the ball.

"That's great, son." Wes smiled and patted his son on the back.

Sky could see it in his father's and step-mother's eyes, something was wrong. "What's wrong?"

Wes sighed and picked his son up. "Come on, we'll go talk about it inside."

"Okay," he answered softly.

* * *

Only a few weeks had gone by, but the memory still remained very clear in his mind. He hardly ever slept anymore, not with the haunting nightmares still lurking in the back of his mind.

During those three weeks, the bodies of the once space rangers, and first SPD rangers, were taken to Earth and buried. They would be remembered as heroes for all time, throughout the galaxy all would know who they were and what they died for.

But during that time no one came any closer to learning the fate of young Mora and Cruger's wife, whose bodies were unaccounted for. Cruger feared the worst, that something awful had happened to Mora and feared that if he ever saw her again, she would no longer be the young innocent child of his fallen friends.

"The ship's all set for you, Commander Cruger," said Leo as he walked up to the old dog. When Cruger didn't answer, Leo gently patted him on the shoulder. "Sir." Leo sighed. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Cruger was going through. To lose all those people, everyone he ever knew was now gone.

"I wish I could wake up." But he knew he wasn't going to be waking up. This is it…

"Things will get better. It's just going to take time, is all." But even that, Leo felt, wasn't enough, nothing would ever be enough. For all they knew Cruger was the last of his kind. How does one go on living knowing they are all that's left? Leo hoped he would never know the answer. "I..I'm-"

"We're ready for you, sir. The ship's all checked out and ready to roll," announced Damon as he joined Leo and Cruger.

"Thank you Damon." Cruger faced Leo. "And thank you for your hospitality."

Leo smiled. "You're always welcome here, sir."

Within the next few minutes Cruger gathered the little belongings he had left and boarded onto the small one man ship. Leo, Mike and the others watched as Cruger flew off, heading into space, headed towards Earth, to join Zhane and Karone in Newtech City. Where it seemed likely Cruger would remain for the rest of his days.

"Think he'll be all right?" asked Kai; even as he said it he knew it was a dumb question - but what else was there? He had heard so many great stories about Cruger, being the greatest Commander in the galaxy, best Sirius ever had. And now the Commander was broken, even hardened, didn't let anyone in.

"Hard to say, after everything's he's been through," Kendrix sighed.

Maya watched quietly, watching as the ship got further and further away. "He blames himself, so much pain, so sad."

"Cruger's a fighter, he'll bounce back," added Mike, but even he had to admit it would be a long time before Cruger would be the fighter he once was.

"Come on guys, we got work to do. A few of the neighboring planets have been picking up disturbances of alien thugs causing trouble throughout the galaxy. One of the main ones they're concerned about is Mirloc," announced Leo.

"Mirloc, I've heard of him. A bunch of space truckers says he's as tricky as they come, can escape out of any object that has any type of reflection."

"Which kind of makes him difficult to arrest," added Kai.

"Which is why we need to get out heads together and figure out a way of getting him and the rest of his crew," stated Mike, placing a hand on both Kai and Damon's shoulders.

The guys had already gone ahead to head back to work, but Maya remained behind. Kendrix was getting ready to follow the guys when she noticed that Maya wasn't following them.

"Hey, you coming?" she asked gently, grabbing her shoulder.

"Yeah." She turned and smiled. "Just wanted to make sure he got out okay."

"Yeah. But don't worry, they'll take good care of him on Earth." Kendrix smiled. "Come on, let's go help the guys." Maya nodded her head and the two ran to catch up with the guys.

* * *

It had only been a day since Cruger had arrived on Earth, in Newtech City, and already he was beginning to feel homesick. Zhane, Karone, the officers and cadets, had all been doing their best to make the new Commander feel at home.

But for the past few weeks, there had been the uneasy feeling in the SPD Command Base, a rumor had been going around that Zhane and Karone planned to leave Earth and return to KO-35 and planned to go in search of their niece. Everyone suspected it to be true, they had nothing left here, no family, no friends; any family they had left was on KO-35.

At most times either Wes or Eric, and sometimes both of them, would be at the base throughout the week, sometimes even staying a few days and going back home for a few days. They had already begun training members of the A squad team, preparing them, and seeing which five would be chosen to one day, and hopefully in the near future, become the first to use the SPD designed morphers.

Zhane was in the SPD locker room, cleaning out his locker, taking out everything except for his SPD uniform. With Andros and his team gone, it didn't seem important anymore. The only thing that felt important was finding his niece and saving her from the fate that Karone once had.

He was getting ready to close the locker when he noticed a picture of himself and Andros taped to the door. For a long moment he stared at the picture, remembering how things were between them, before the fight, before everything got messed up. The last conversation he and Andros had, had been in anger. He would never be able to forgive himself for that.

"You can't keep blaming yourself, it isn't healthy. Believe me, _I_ know."

He grabbed the picture and stuffed it into the bag. "Come on, we should get going. They're expecting us." Zhane closed his locker for the last time, having no intentions of ever returning to it. And he wasn't even sure if he would even return to Earth.

Karone had mixed feelings about leaving both Earth and Cruger. But she felt that for now her place was with Zhane, on Ko-35 and searching for her brother's daughter, her niece, wherever she might be.

Cruger, along with Wes, Eric and a few cadets, stood outside getting ready to see Zhane and Karone off. With their bags and belonging already loaded on board, it was time to say goodbye.

"Wes. Eric." Zhane sighed, he hadn't known them long; Andros usually was the one to deal with them, but from what he did know he knew them to be great fighters, honorable men and great rangers. He knew Earth and SPD would be well taken care of with them around. "It's been great knowing you both."

"You too." Wes shook his hand. "I hope you find your niece. And if you ever need anything don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks." Zhane turned to Eric, the harder of the two. Zhane could already begin to see the disappointment in Eric's eyes. He knew Eric wasn't happy with his leaving and abandoning them.

Eric, although angry with Zhane for leaving them, understood. All he could do was understand, he might not respect or like the decision, but he understood why. An innocent child's life was at stake. "Good luck."

Zhane shook his head and took Eric's hand. "Thanks." He sighed heavily as he approached Cruger; Karone had already made her goodbyes and had gotten aboard the ship, feeling that if she didn't get on the ship now, she might never be able to.

"Zhane."

"Sir." Zhane sighed, knowing what Cruger was going to say. "Look, I know what you're going to say, but we have to try. I need to know what happened to her."

Cruger sighed, understanding. He knew the chances of finding her were slim, even slimmer of finding her unchanged, not evil. "The best of luck to you." He patted Zhane on the arm and looked him hard in the eyes, probably for the last time. "Goodbye, old friend."

"Goodbye sir." Zhane started backing off, starting to feel guilt overwhelming him. "I'm sorry." He ran towards the ship and got on board and within a minute was already off the ground heading into space.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" asked Wes.

Eric never answered, but a different question was going through his mind. Was this it? Or was this just the beginning? An unspoken fear formed a lump in his throat; for the first time ever he feared for his life as well as his partner's, his friend and brother.

Things were different now, not like before when there was just him. Now there was Hayley, his unborn child, Wes and Sky. He had a future now, with family and friends. He wasn't so sure if he could do things the same way as he always had, because now there were people in his life who needed him.


	21. Ties That Bind Us

Four months had gone by. It hardly seemed possible that it had been a little more than four months since Andros and his team had perished on Sirius, since Sirius was defeated. Over that period of time Wes and Eric had been working hard, longer hours than before, and they seemed to be spending less and less time with their families.

Several outbreaks of attacks had been happening in Newtech City as well in Silver Hills. It had only been a month now since the first non-human races had joined the inhabitants of Earth; most of them were good, kind-hearted people, but not all of them.

Commander Cruger had been keeping a low profile, hoping that Grumm wouldn't be able to sense where he had fled to. It had taken a while to get the cadets and officers used to having a dog in charge, but Wes made sure that Commander Cruger would be welcomed and be treated with the highest of respect, although Eric was beginning to disagree with some of Cruger's tactics.

"He's not that bad, Eric, give the guy a break. He's been through a lot." Wes was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck while Eric drove down the road. The lights were blinking but the siren was off.

"Wes, the guy doesn't even join us or the other officers when there's an attack or a disruption. He sits behind his little desk, barking orders at us."

"Well, he is our commanding officer."

"Even commanding officers have to get their hands dirty every once in a while. Hell, when we were in charge-"

Wes cut him off. "But we're not anymore. Not when it's concerning what he does." Wes let out a sigh. "Look, I admit I don't like it any more than you do, but it's for the better. With Cruger in charge we'll be able to do great things. Look what we already have accomplished."

"Yeah. Getting five rangers killed. _Big_ accomplishment. If I had been there-"

"If you had been there, what? You probably would have gotten yourself killed, too." But even so, he too wondered: would things have been different had he and Eric gone to Sirius? Or wouldn't it have mattered, and they too would have ended up dead. "And then what?"

Eric didn't answer; he turned into the hospital parking lot and parked the truck. He got out and looked to Wes who was getting ready to unbuckle his seatbelt. "I'll call you in a few hours, let you know what's going on."

Wes nodded his head. "We'll be waiting." He smiled. "So, you excited?"

Eric had to smile at that. He couldn't believe that in a matter of hours, he was going to be a father. "I'll be seeing you, Wes." He waved goodbye and started walking towards the building.

* * *

"Dad, you're home!" yelled Sky, jumping into his father's arms, as Wes walked through the door. "Did you get any bad guys?"

"A few." Wes headed towards the living room where he found his father and Lisa sitting on the couch, watching the news and reading the newspaper. "So how was school?"

"Good. In a few weeks, we get to do show and tell. Can I bring you in, Dad, please?"

Wes grinned. "I'm sure we can work something out," answered Wes as he put his son back down.

"Yeah!" he cheered. "I can't wait to tell my friends."

Lisa looked at the clock and noticed it was way past Sky's bedtime. He had wanted to wait until Wes came home, so she had let him stay up an extra hour longer. "Sky, honey, it's getting late, you should start getting ready for bed."

"Ah, okay." He looked towards his grandfather. "Night, Grandpa."

"Night, Schuyler, see you in the morning."

Wes bent down and hugged his son. "I'll be up in a few minutes to tuck you in."

"Okay." Sky then went over to Lisa, his step-mother, and kissed her on the cheek before making his way up the stairs.

"So how was work?" asked Lisa, scooting over to make room for Wes to sit down next to her, and gently leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Tiring. But Eric and I think we have it figured out which members of the A squad will become rangers. We won't know for sure for another couple of weeks. Then the old dog will have to go over the reports."

"How is he adjusting?" asked Collins, folding up the newspaper and setting it onto the coffee table. Remembering it took sometime for Kat to adjust, once her secret about her cat-like form was revealed.

"Okay. I'd say it's more of an adjustment for everyone else, some don't do well taking orders from a dog." Wes yawned, feeling the overwhelming tiredness start to take its toll on him.

"Especially Eric," remarked Lisa, knowing well enough Eric probably didn't like having to take orders from a dog when he had been so used to being in charge and doing things his own way.

"Speaking of Eric, on our way back from Newtech City he got a call from the hospital."

"You mean?" Lisa grinned.

"Yeah. We should be getting a call later tonight, or early morning."

"That's wonderful news," announced Collins, feeling as if at any moment would be the new birth of a new grandchild. Although Eric wasn't really his son, in some ways Collins thought of him as a son.

"Yeah. Hard to believe that at any time Eric will be a daddy."

"Dad!" yelled Sky.

"Speaking of daddies," grinned Lisa.

"Duty calls." Wes stood up and leaned down and kissed Lisa gently on the lips. "After I'm done getting him set, I think I'm going to head in, I'm beat."

"Long day?"

"Yeah," he answered with a yawn.

"Okay. I'll be up in a little bit."

"Night." Wes turned to his father. "Night, Dad."

"Night, son."

"Dad!"

"I'm coming," yelled Wes, heading out of the living room.

Lisa watched him leave with concern in her eyes. Wes had been having a lot of long and tiring days. Work, day in and day out, even when he didn't have to. She was beginning to get worried that he was working himself too hard; he might only be twenty-nine, but he needed to take a break just like everyone else.

"You're worried."

Lisa sighed and turned back around. "Can't help it. I just wish he take a break once in a while. The way he's going, he's going to run himself dry. Super power or not, he's not Superman."

"Yes, I know." Collin had noticed that Wes had taken on a lot of responsibilities; normally he would be proud and thrilled, but his son was beginning to take on more than he could handle. "But I'm sure, in a few weeks, everything will start to get back on track. With five of the A squad members moving up to ranger mode, that will take off some of the weight on his shoulders."

At least that's what he hoped. He had known on more than one occasion that his son had hidden an injury from them.

"Yeah. You're right." She smiled, but a feeling in the back of her mind wouldn't go away. She tried to ignore it, figuring it was only natural, lots of wives and girlfriends worry about their law enforcing husbands and boyfriends. But that didn't take away the worry that someday he might go to work and not come home.

* * *

Sky lay underneath the covers of his bed. Wes was sitting beside him, helping him get settled in. Wes tucked his son in tightly and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "All set?"

"I'm good."

"Good." Wes was getting ready to stand up, when...

"Dad?"

He sat back down. "Yes, Sky?"

"I know my birthday isn't for a few weeks, but do you think for my birthday we can go visit Mom?" It had been almost two months since he last been to the beach where he and his father spread his mother's ashes two years before.

Wes grinned; his son would be turning seven and all he wanted was something money couldn't buy. His son seemed to care more for the simple things in life. "You bet! We'll make a day of it. Have a picnic, throw a few balls, even build a sandcastle or two and anything else you want to do." He tapped his son's nose. "You and me, bud."

"Yeah that sounds great." Sky's face lit up. "You're the best dad."

Wes smiled and turned off his son's lamp. "Night, kid-o. See you in the morning."

"Night, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, son." Wes closed his son's bedroom door and headed off into his and Lisa's bedroom to get ready for bed.

* * *

Collins walked into the lab and found Dr. Manx gathering up her belongings. She would soon be leaving for Newtech City and would begin to work at the SPD Command Base, creating weapons and ranger technology, as well as weapons for the other officers to use. Commander Cruger had called him earlier in the week requesting to have Dr. Manx moved to the Newtech City location. He had agreed to it, knowing Commander Cruger was a good friend of hers and that the environment might be better suited for her. Newtech City was where most of the new races were residing.

Collins was sad to see her go, but knew it was for the better. He had gotten a call from Dr. Zaskin asking if he might be able to return to Bio-Lab, so it all worked out in the end. Mike Zaskin would be returning at the end of the week.

"Got everything packed?"

"Just about." She looked up at him and smiled. "I hope you don't mind, but I plan on making more prototypes of RIC, so that each base of command on all planets has one."

"It's all right. Andrea would have liked that." Collins looked down at RIC, who was standing close to Kat's side with a couple of tools in his mouth. He grinned, happy to know that his wife's work would never be over, it would go on. He was just sorry that he waited so long to get her projects going.

"I want you to know I'm very grateful for what you have done for me, welcoming me into the company and everything else." She remembered back when Andros first brought her here, how afraid she was that when she finally told the truth about herself, that no one would accept her.

"You're welcome." He looked at his watch. "Well, I should be heading to the hospital."

"Yes. I heard that Eric's….."

* * *

"Eric, she's the spitting image of you," grinned Wes, holding the one-day-old baby girl in his arms. It was an amazing feeling, holding a newly born life in his hands, words couldn't even describe it. Wes looked into the little baby's eyes, knowing that this must have been what Jen felt when she first held Sky, but even a greater feeling knowing it was hers. He almost felt a pang of envy that he hadn't been able to hold his son after he was just born, but he wouldn't trade a moment of time he had spent with his son since then for the chance.

"Yeah, she has your eyes," said Lisa, standing near Wes's side, gently playing with little Megan's fingers.

"Can I hold her?" asked Sky, who was sitting in a chair next to Hayley's bed. Wes and Lisa seemed hesitant, not knowing if Sky was ready to hold such a young life in his own little arms.

"Sure, honey," said Hayley, smiling back at him, trusting that the little boy would be very careful.

Eric got up from his seat and gently took his daughter out of Wes's arms and slowly put her into Sky's arms, showing him the right way to hold a newborn. "Okay, put your hand under her head."

"Like this?"

"Yeah. That's perfect."

Sky looked down at Megan's face and saw her looking up at him. "I'm doing it. I'm really doing it."

"You sure are, kid-o; you'll make a good big cousin."

Lisa wrapped her arms around Wes. "Or big brother."

Wes turned to her. "You mean you want a baby?" asked Wes.

"Seeing this, it just gets you thinking. Don't you want one?"

Wes grinned. "I'd love to have one, but what about our honeymoon? I mean…I know you were looking forward to it."

"There's always next year," She took his hands. "What's the rush," she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

Wes laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "All right then, we're going to have a baby."

_And I thought Wes and Jen were bad, with all the mushy stuff. _"Great. But you think you could wait until you're home to do that? We have two children present," announced Eric. "And I don't want my little girl exposed to the opposite sex any time soon."

"You're going to have to let her grow up someday. You can't chase her boyfriends away forever. Although knowing you, you probably could."

"Damn right." Eric crossed his arms against his chest.

"Guys!" yelled Lisa.

"Yeah you two, knock it off. She's barely a day old and you both are acting like she's going to the prom next week."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Boys are bad."

"And you would know better than any of us, since you were one of those _bad_ boys," laughed Wes. "As I recall…." There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said Eric.

The door opened and Collins walked in, carrying flowers and a stuffed pink bear. "How are the new mother and father doing?"

"Tired, but other than that, I'm doing great," answered Hayley.

"Well then." Collins turned to Eric. "I'll see to it that Eric has some time off, to help you get settled." Collins headed over to his grandson who still was holding the baby girl in his arms.

"You want to hold her, Grandpa?" asked Sky.

"I'd be delighted to." He gently took the baby girl from Sky's arms and held her, and began to remember the first time he held Wes in his arms. "She's beautiful, what's her name?"

"Megan Andrea Myers." For a moment Eric and Collins shared a glance. "Hayley and I both thought she should have some Collins in her." After all they had been the closest thing he had to a family.

Collins didn't know what to say. He was grateful that when they were naming their child, they thought of him. After his wife had died, it had just been him, work, and Wes, for his family. But as the years had gone by his family grew, first being Eric and Hayley, then his grandson, and Lisa and now Megan had joined their family. They all might not be connected by blood, but they held a bond that even blood can't destroy. But sometimes without any reason at all, something comes along and breaks those bonds, twisting them and turning them, until they are too far gone to get back.


	22. Stripped of Innocence

"Thank you for the update, Captain Corbett. We will have our eyes on the lookout for him," announced Commander Cruger into the visual communication screen. Captain Mike Corbett of the SPD base on Mirinoi had just contacted him with urgent news about a recent threat.

"Be careful sir, this Merlock, he's a sly one. He can slip away through any thing that provides some type of reflection. He came very close to taking my team out. He should be considered extremely dangerous."

"I'll make sure to pass that along to Commander Myers and his team. Is there anything else to report?"

"No sir, that is all."

"Good. We'll be in touch. Cruger out." Cruger ended the connection. He walked up to the intercom. "Commander Myers, please report to the command center, immediately."

* * *

They had been traveling through space for a little less than three months now, not getting anywhere. No one seemed to know what had happened to the child that Grumm had instructed to be kidnapped, or they knew and were too afraid. Afraid of what might happen to them if they revealed where she was and what had happened to her.

The days seemed endless now, repeating the same tasks day after day, getting no closer than when they began the search. Zhane sighed heavily; no matter what he did, it wasn't enough. He had once been the most feared ranger in the universe and now even that wasn't enough. Even Karone….

She had been slowly drifting away from him. They didn't talk much. He couldn't even remember the last time he had held her, pressed his lips against hers. It was as if they had become strangers to each other.

KO-35 had been in contact since they began on the search, but now they were urging for them to return. That too much time had passed, that it was hopeless. That whoever took her had made sure that no one would ever be able to find her.

Karone's parents had even contacted them, pleading for her to return, afraid that the same fate might find her. They had already lost a son, a daughter-in-law and a grandchild. They couldn't bear to lose their only daughter, for a second time.

Many nights Zhane lay awake, asking himself the same question. Maybe it would be better just to go home and move on. But then wouldn't that mean giving up? Andros was like a brother to him, he'd do anything for him. But where do you draw the line; when is enough, enough?

The communication monitor made a beeping noise. Zhane rubbed his eyes and switched it on. King Kinwon appeared on the screen.

"Please come home, Zhane, you've done all you can."

"Have I?" Had he done everything he could? He didn't know anymore. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Everything he thought he knew didn't seem to matter anymore. Nothing mattered.

"We'll turn around right now, King Kinwon," answered Karone softly, as she walked up behind Zhane.

"Good. We'll be waiting for your return."

When the connection ended, Zhane turned around to face her. "Are you sure about this?"

She smiled faintly. "It's been four months. I don't like giving up, but…."

"Yeah," Zhane sighed. "I'll set the coordinates for home." He turned around and began pushing the right buttons to set a course towards home. He felt as Karone gently placed her hands on his shoulders, equally feeling the guilt of giving up, letting go of the hope of ever finding her again.

But then again, Andros had never given up hope of finding Karone, never once did he give up even when the odds were against him. Perhaps someday, they would find her, but for now they needed to go on with their lives, and repair their broken relationship.

* * *

"Where am I?" She looked around; she was surrounded by darkness, a cold eerie feeling. Nothing looked familiar; in fact she couldn't even remember where she had been. She tried to remember, but only echoes of memories came to her, quick flashes of faces, places, she couldn't place. Who were these faces? These places? What did they mean?

She looked down at the darkened ground and found a doll, with one eye, staring right at her. She picked it up and stared at it for a long moment. "Who are you?" she asked, as quick flashes of memories came to her, someone giving her a doll, smiling at her with kind eyes. And then… "Mommy….Daddy." The faces became clearer; they were her parents. "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?" She looked around, but they weren't there. She couldn't see anything beyond the darkness. "Mommy! Daddy!" she cried again.

"They are gone, child," said a voice.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" She turned around and saw dark gleaming red eyes staring right at her. "Who are you? Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

"Gone. The humans killed your parents."

"Humans?"

"Yes. Humans hunted and murdered your parents, they are responsible."

"No," she cried. "I want to hurt these humans. I hate them!"

"Good," he hissed. "All in good time, but first..." Suddenly an image emerged in the darkness, of a ship flying through space. "I need you to destroy that ship, they are just a few of the humans responsible for your parents' deaths, and in return I will give you what was taken from you, your childhood."

"My childhood?" Suddenly the darkness became a little lighter and she was able to see her hands, they were bigger. Then a mirror appeared and she looked at herself in the mirror. She was not a child, but an adult. "Those monsters, look what they have done!" She turned to the red eyes. "Show me what I have to do."

"Certainly. All you have to do is push this button." He pointed to the button, grinning. "Push it and they will be gone, punished for the crimes they committed against your parents."

"Yes. They will pay!" she snarled and in moments, her anger turned to fury and the innocence that once lived in her was gone completely. She pushed the button and watched as a beam of light hit the ship. She heard the creature with the red eyes laughing darkly and soon she found herself laughing with him.

The ship rocked and knocked them around to the floor. The lights were blinking and the sirens were going off. "Zhane, what's going on? What hit us?"

"I don't know." He tried to push himself up, but every time was knocked down. An image then appeared on the screen. Zhane's eyes lit up in fear; it was Grumm. "Grumm!" he snarled. "You won't get away with this!"

"Foolish humans. Prepare for your demise," said another voice, female; she then moved in front of Grumm. "It is time you paid for your crimes against my parents!"

"Who are you?" But even as Zhane looked at her, he already knew. The woman who was staring at him so coldly was his niece, but she was no longer the little innocent baby she had been, they had changed her, twisted her thoughts into thinking that they had been the ones who killed her parents. "Mora, don't believe the lies he told you. I'm your…" The ship rocked again and knocked Zhane around, hitting his head. Karone quickly went to his side, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I am no longer Mora, I am Morgana. Goodbye, humans."

"NO!" yelled Karone. And then nothing…..

Morgana watched as the ship exploded. She was quite pleased with the destruction. She turned around and faced Grumm. "Where are more of these humans? They all must pay!"

"In good time, my child, they will all pay."

"Good. I surely like this. They will not get away with this. Now will you turn me back into Mora?"

"In time, my dear child, but first there are things we must do to prepare, and then yes, you will be Mora once again."

"Oh, goody!"

* * *

Kinwon's face fell as he began to tell Cruger what had happened. "How long ago?" asked Cruger.

"Over an hour ago. This incoming message was all we could pick up from the ship's last whereabouts, and then nothing." The screen then switched from Kinwon to the message that Grumm and Morgana had given Zhane and Karone, moments before they destroyed the ship. Once the message was finished Kinwon appeared back on the screen. "Our sensors tell us that the ship had been destroyed. There's nothing left of it."

"Do Karone's parents know?"

Kinwon felt like a knife had stabbed him in the heart. "I didn't have the heart to tell them that the same fate that once found their daughter has now found their grandchild."

Cruger sighed heavily, understanding. "Do you know why Grumm wanted her in the first place?" There had to be a reason. Why Mora, out of thousands of other children in the universe, why her?

"It is believed that somehow, with the difference of her parents being from different planets, that somehow her DNA changed and somehow she has the ability to create monsters, just from drawing them from her mind. Our scientists are still going over the lab reports, from the tests that were done after she was born…"

"I see." As if things weren't already bad. It seemed they had taken a turn for the worse. Grumm and his followers had twisted and turned everything about Mora's life for their own use. They now had the perfect weapon at their very fingertips. And Mora was too childlike to even realize it. "We'll be in touch. Cruger out."

A few moments passed and he just stood there, staring at the blank screen. The loss of his people, the rangers on his planet, had been bad enough, but now there had been another loss, maybe even a greater loss: a child. A child, who if this hadn't happened, would have grown up in love; but who was now growing up in darkness, not knowing that the very ones who were taking care of her were her enemies.

* * *

"Damn." Wes slammed his locker shut. Just moments before Eric had finished telling him that both Zhane and Karone had been killed while on their return to KO-35. Nothing was left of them. "And to think, we thought Ransik was bad."

"Yeah. Cruger says he's as bad as it gets."

"Man." Wes sighed. It had been bad losing Andros and the others, but now Zhane and Karone. He didn't even want to imagine what Karone's parents were going through; their whole life as they knew it would be over. "Anything about Mora?"

Eric shook his head. "No. Nothing. As far as Cruger knows, she's probably dead too."

"We can only hope. Because otherwise, she's with _them_ and I don't even want to think about what they would do with her."

'Yeah,' Eric responded silently. He knew what Wes was thinking, maybe it was because they were both fathers now and they worried more about their enemies coming after their children. "I know." But maybe even more so Wes; Sky after all was different from most kids. He had the ability to create a shield protecting himself and anyone near him from an oncoming attack. Who wouldn't want that kind of power?

Eric grabbed his bag from his locker and shut it. He had only been back on the job for a few days now, working back and forth between Newtech City and Silver Hills. Mr. Collins had convinced Cruger to let him have a week off, so he could be home for Hayley and Megan. It had been great being able to stay home with his daughter and wife, but he was happy to be back at work. "So when do you go to Sky's class?"

"Monday, so I have, not counting today, four days to prepare."

"They're seven, Wes, just morph and show off some of your moves. Kids love that stuff."

"And I suppose when Megan's seven, you'll go into her class and do the same." Eric didn't respond, just grinned. "So you going to have any more?"

"Wes, she's not even a month old. Not to mention the fact that Hayley said _I _would have to have the next one."

Wes slung his arm around Eric's neck. "Sounds painful, but I'm sure Dr. Manx could figure something out. Now that would be a sight to see."

"Cut the crap, Wes." Eric shoved Wes away from him, not even sure why he put up with Wes' childish behavior.

Wes laughed. "Come on, you gotta admit it would be pretty funny."

"Yeah sure. You try it, and then we'll see." Eric just shook his head. Wes might be crazy and childish at times, but something told him if one day he didn't have it, he would miss it. But he found that hard to believe, for once he would just like to have a day when Wes wasn't joking around.

"Okay, it's a bet then." Wes followed Eric out of the locker room and headed towards the parking lot.

"You know, I'm beginning to think your son is more grown up than you."

"And you say that like it's a bad thing."

He glared at Wes. "Hmm, a soon to be seven-year-old and a twenty-nine-year-old. Let's see."

Wes smiled. "Point taken. But seriously, someday wouldn't you want another one?"

"Someday." He grinned. "Got to try for that boy."

"Yeah. Just what the world needs, another Eric Myers."

"Okay, enough about me; what about you, aren't you and Lisa trying for one?"

"Yeah, we're trying. I'm kind of hoping for a girl, we both are actually." Wes paused for a moment and then looked down at the ground. "We've even come up with a name..."

Wes didn't even have to say the name for Eric to know. He knew well enough by the way Wes was acting just what the name was, and although in some ways it seemed odd and strange, in a lot of other ways the name did make sense. "I'm sure she would like that."

Wes smiled. "Yeah." He turned to Eric, acting as if he was going to ask him something but then he found himself in front of his truck. "Well, I should be heading home, see yah tomorrow."

"Right. Tell everyone I said hi."

"I'll do that." Wes waved and got into his truck and drove off. Eric watched Wes pull out and then headed to his own truck and drove on home to his family.


	23. A Squad Ranger

He wasn't even sure why he had lied. He knew well enough that Mora was alive and well. _Well…_if you consider what has happened to her as being well. She was no longer an innocent child; she was no longer good. Gruumm had turned her. Twisted her thoughts into his own, making her believe they were responsible for the deaths of her parents. Gruumm even was able to get her to kill some of the remaining members of her family, and she didn't even know it. Probably never would, _if_ Gruumm could help it.

Cruger realized that Mora had become his enemy, _their _enemy. That is why he couldn't tell Wes and Eric who she was. He knew if they knew the truth, that would change things, change the way they would think, the way they would do things. They wouldn't be able to see past the infant child they both had known her to be. After all, both of them were fathers. How could they see past the child she had been? He couldn't ask them to do that.

Maybe it was wrong for him not to say anything. He hadn't even told Kat. And he didn't plan to. What good would it do? Mora was under no spell, she was childlike and believed whatever Gruumm told her, because he had found her. Fed her the lies, which now she believed to be true; she trusted him completely.

_Then again…_Maybe it was his fault for what happened. He had been the one to contact Andros asking him for his help. Cruger sighed and bowed his head. He grew weary, but wouldn't allow himself to fall asleep. Because if he did, then they would come back, creeping up behind him, haunting him over and over and his nightmares would live on.

Cruger entered into the mainframe computer and pushed a few buttons. He opened the file and up came a photo of Andros and his family, little Mora in Ashley's arms. The perfect little family, that once had been, was no more. He pushed a few more buttons and a message popped up asking to terminate. And he stayed like that for a few moments and then let out a soft breath. "Forgive me old friend." And the file was gone, erased from the memory of the computer. No one would ever know the truth; only he and Kinwon held the truth behind Morgana's true identity. For better or worse, it was done….

* * *

_Oct. 4, 2007_

"Have a safe trip, Dad." Wes hugged his father goodbye. Collins was leaving for an eight day business trip and would be back in time for Sky's birthday next Saturday.

"Thanks, son. Try not to let anything happen to the company while I'm away."

"That's what I'm here for."

Collins then bent down to hug his grandson. "And then you, mister man, when I get back we're having a party."

"Yeah. I can't wait for you to get back, Grandpa!"

Collins grinned. He hadn't quite heard enough of Sky calling him grandpa. He had come to like coming home, seeing his grandson. It was almost getting a second chance at being able to watch Wes grow up all over again, only this time it was his grandson. He looked at his watch. "Well, I should be going."

"Have a safe flight, Alec," smiled Lisa who was standing by Wes's side with her arm wrapped around Wes.

"Thank you, Lisa. I'm expecting you to keep those two in line, while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, I have everything under control."

"Sir, the car's ready," announced Philips, coming through the front door.

"Right." Collins took one last look at his family before departing. So much had changed over the last few years. Wes had grown up so much more, first with becoming a responsible father to his son, then finally being able to move on with his life, with Jen no longer in it. He had even been able to move on with someone else in it. "Bye!" He waved and headed out the door.

The three watched as the car pulled out of the long driveway and headed down the road. Wes picked his son up. "And now we got to get you to school. It's Friday, so that means..."

"We got all Saturday and Sunday to ourselves!"

"You better believe it." Wes turned towards his wife and kissed her on the lips. "See you after work, honey."

"Okay, sweetie." Lisa smiled and watched as Wes and Sky departed into Wes's truck and headed down the road in the opposite direction in which Mr. Collins and Philips had gone.

* * *

He had been sitting in the airport for hours. In fact most of the time it seemed like he was living in them, eating out of vending machines. But every once in a while he was able to get a decent meal from some nice stranger who must have felt sorry for him. This hadn't been where he saw himself at this point in his life; he was thirty-five years old. But this had been the path he chose and he knew he wouldn't go back on it. It had been the right path. But only two years later, he found himself considering another path.

A path which, if he took it, would have dramatic life altering effects. Effects so great, he wasn't even sure if he should take it, take the risk; risking what he had worked so hard to hide. Alex sighed heavily and ran his hands over his face. These were one of the times that he really hated himself and he knew no matter what path he took, it would be the wrong one, either way. Some days he wished that he didn't know what would happen, that he had never looked it up, if only he could go back and stop himself from looking up that file in the history banks, if he could erase it from his memory, if only…. there was another way…..

"Flight to Silver Hills, California is ready to board." Alex heard, but made no attempt to move. Instead he stared down at his ticket. It was hard to imagine that one piece of paper held the destiny of several lives. The announcement was made several more times, and everyone in his section was boarding the plane, but he didn't move, didn't even blink.

"Sir, are you going to board the plane?" asked a woman who had walked over to him, after noticing he hadn't gotten up.

He looked up and stared her in the eyes and began playing the very question over and over in his mind. Was he going to board the plane and change destiny or was he going to sit back and let destiny take its course?

"Sir?" she asked again……

_Alex bowed his head heavily as he read the history report on the computer. He even reread several times to make sure he heard right. As if things weren't bad already, this made things all the worse. The problem was he didn't know who it was, part of it was missing, and all he knew was that one of the former Silver Guardians Commanders died, __October 6th, 2007_

_"Alex, is everything okay," asked Jen as she slowly walked into Alex's small home office._

_Alex quickly clicked out of what he was doing and turned back to Jen. "Jen, you shouldn't be out of bed, you know what the doctor said." Alex gently picked her up and headed back into the bedroom._

_"I know," she sighed. "I was just getting tired of being in bed all the time."_

_"I know." He carefully put her back to bed and pulled the covers over her. He bent down and briefly kissed her on the forehead. "Maybe tomorrow if you're feeling up to it, we can go to the park with Sky." And as if on cue, little baby Sky was heard crying from his room. Jen started to get back up, but Alex pushed her back down. "I'll check up on him. You rest."_

_"Thanks." Jen smiled faintly and watched as Alex left the bedroom, getting ready to close the door behind him. "Alex?"_

_He stopped. "Yes?"_

_"Everything's okay, right. The plan and everything?"_

_He didn't answer right away. Almost questioning himself if he should tell her the little he knew of the possibility. But… He forced a smile. "Everything's fine. I have it all under control. You have nothing to worry about."_

_She nodded her head, said something that he couldn't quite make out and then she fell back into a deep sleep. Due to her illness that was killing her slowly, that's all she really did now. Sleep. "Sleep well, Jen." He closed the door behind him._

"Sir?"

Alex snapped out of his thoughts. And looked up at the woman and then back to his ticket. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't, even if in some way he felt he was letting Jen down, this was one thing he could not do. Even if there was some chance that it could be… "No. I guess I'm not." He handed her his ticket and walked away, not looking back, knowing if he did he might never be able to leave. _After all, there is the chance that it's not him, that it's…

* * *

_

Wes was in his office going over paperwork when Eric walked in with a duffle bag. "Heading out to Newtech City?"

"Yeah. I'll be back sometime Monday night. Cruger has some work for me to do, tracking down a criminal, some alien freak called Merlock."

"Sounds like fun," said Wes as he went through the files. "How'd Hayley take you being gone for a few days?"

"Fine. She knows my work is important, just as hers is, or will be once she goes back to work."

"That's good."

Eric nodded his head and looked at his watch; it was 8 PM. "Shouldn't you be home?"

"I'm leaving in a few. I just have a few more files to go through, then I'll be done. Dad left me in charge until he gets back, so I thought I get an early start so Sky, Lisa and I can have the whole weekend together."

"Sounds fun. Maybe call Hayley, you know how she can get."

Wes laughed. "Already taken care of, she and Megan are meeting us for lunch and a movie tomorrow."

"Thanks. Well, I should be going."

"Right. Drive safe, Eric and hopefully I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. Later, Wes."

"Bye."

**The next day…**

Eric was in the SPD Command Center with Cruger and Kat, going over Merlock's file. Eric was trying to learn everything he could about Merlock before he would go out and attempt to arrest the alien. There were very few files on him; most of the information they had on Merlock was provided by Mike Corbett who had already encountered the alien and came close to losing his life.

"So I take it I should wear my sunglasses when I approach this guy," said Eric, giving a sly smile.

"No, wouldn't be a good idea. It could almost be a danger even to morph because of your helmet," stated Kat.

"Well then, I guess I won't be morphing."

"You might not have much of a choice," interrupted Cruger. "He's extremely dangerous. Captain Mike Corbett and his team were barely able to hold their own against him."

_Great! You're really helping here, Cruger._ "Well then, what do you suggest I do, sir?" There were days that it took everything Eric had not to lose it with Cruger, and this was becoming one of those days.

"Kat, could you provide Commander Myers with a non-reflective shield for his ranger helmet?"

"Yes, but…"

"Good." Cruger turned to Eric. "When Kat is finished you know what to do. I'll be in the training room with the cadets if anyone needs me."

Once Cruger was gone, Eric turned to her. "How do you put up with him?"

"Oh, he's not that bad. You just have to take him one day at a time." Kat started to head towards her lab.

"What is it with you and Wes, being okay to put up with a pain in the ass like him?"

"Oh, I guess you could say we've had a lot of experience." She grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eric crossed his arms, starting not to like where this was going.

"Nothing." She turned and smiled at him. "Now, once I'm finished I'll call you down."

"Yeah," muttered Eric, watching her head down the hall towards the lab, as he mumbled to himself. A young cadet, seventeen or so, walked past him and Eric pulled him aside. "Hey kid, do you think I'm a jackass?"

"Ah. If I say no, does that mean I can move up to class C?" The kid gave him a weak smile.

Eric just frowned and shoved him aside. "Get out of here." Fed up, Eric headed towards his dorm. He slumped down on his bed and turned the radio on, just staring off into space, wondering if he was like Cruger. Headstrong, demanding, hard to get along with - he wanted to deny that he was like that. He wanted to deny that he and Cruger had anything in common, but deep down somehow he knew. He knew in some ways he and Cruger were a lot alike, more than he really wanted to admit. But one thing was, he would never back down or abandon his duties; that was the one thing that separated him and Cruger.

_"Commander Myers, ten of the A squad members are waiting for you in training room five,"_ came a voice over the intercom.

"Great, choosing day," Eric muttered, as he got off his bed and headed out of his dorm towards the hall that led to each training room. Over the past few months he and Wes had been training twenty members of the A Squad to see which ones showed promise at becoming a ranger. Ten of the members had made the cut for ranger squad training, but only five would be chosen to become rangers. He and Wes had already gone over the list of which five would fill the spots of the first to use the SPD morphers, but not before going through another year of training. The other five then would resume their spot on the A squad team.

Eric entered into the room, and found ten officers standing in stance waiting for his order. Four females and six males, all worthy of becoming excellent officers. A part of Eric wished he could select them all, but as of right now Kat was only working on five morphers.

"At ease." Eric moved into the center and looked at each of them in the eyes. "I want you to know, you all have done a great job over these past few months. You're all excellent officers." Eric bowed his head for a moment, gathering his words for how he wanted to phrase this. "But only five of you will move up to ranger level, and for the next year and even beyond, will go under intense training. You'll work harder than you ever have before. So with that said, if any of you believe it's not for you, you have the option of stepping back right now."

He waited for a moment, and as he had expected, no one stepped back. Eric smiled. "Good. But now comes the hard part. Commander Collins and I had a hard time making the decision, but there are only five morphers." His face became very serious. "So, that being said, would Cadet Tanner Wilson please step forward."

Tanner Wilson, twenty two, stepped forward. "Yes sir!" He saluted Eric.

"Congratulations, you have made it to ranger squad."

Tanner shook his hand. "Thank you, sir." Tanner then stepped around and moved behind Eric, as Eric continued with the list, calling the last four names, Colby Brown the eighteen year old that was the youngest of the A squad members. Dashel Jackson the 3rd, twenty-four. And then he called the two female cadets Heather Dawson and Gina White, both twenty-one.

Once Eric finished he faced the five who were not chosen. "On the behalf of SPD and Commander Cruger, Commander Collins, and myself, I want to thank you for all your hard work during these last few months. I salute all of you." Eric saluted all of them. "From this day forward you five will remain with high rankings and will have leadership of the A squad task force." He paused for moment. "You're dismissed."

Once the five had left, Eric turned around to face the five future SPD rangers. A sly smile came across his face. "Now the real fun begins. Over the next year you five will train together, during which time you will learn to work together as a team, learn to trust each other at all moments. Also in which time rankings will be placed of squad leader, who will be red or…" he grinned, "In some cases, pink. But as of right now it's too early to tell. Now, let's get started. Ten laps around the academy. Now!"

"Yes sir!" they all shouted.


	24. Answer The Call part 1

"I had the best time ever, Dad," said Sky as his father tucked him into bed, after a fun day filled with going to the movie, and lunch with Hayley and Megan, and then going out on the boat and swimming in the lake and dinner on the beach.

"And there'll be plenty more tomorrow when we go to the park. You got your glove?"

"Yeah. Right here." Sky lifted up his pillow and revealed his glove.

"Right there?" Wes laughed. "I think it's right here," He began tickling him all over.

"Dad," laughed Sky as he squirmed around. "Stop!"

Wes laughed. "Okay." He smiled staring his son in the face and for a moment he saw a flash of Jen. "Come here, you!" He opened up his arms and Sky wrapped his arms around him, as Wes put his arms around his son.

"Dad?" Sky let go just a little so he could look his father in the eyes.

"Yes, Sky?"

"We'll always be together, right?"

"You bet." Wes smiled. "Nothing will ever keep me away from you. I'll always be here, no matter what. Got it?"

"Got it!" Sky grinned.

"Okay, let's get you settled back in. Big day tomorrow." Wes tucked Sky back into bed. "Night, champ."

"Night, Dad." Sky yawned, as sleep started to come over him. Wes smiled and gently brushed a hair out of his sons face. He slowly got up, trying not to disturb him and headed towards the door. He stopped for a moment before closing the door behind him, as if sensing a presence in the room. "Goodnight, Jen."

* * *

"You two sounded like you were having fun in there," said Lisa, as Wes climbed into bed with her.

"Just a little father and son bonding." Wes yawned. "Man, I'm beat."

"Too much fun for you today?" Lisa leaned closer and laid her head on his shoulder, taking his hand.

He grinned. "Just a little. Hopefully he'll sleep in a little, let me rest up."

"I thought power rangers were supposed to be able to do anything without any rest."

Wes laughed. "Not this power ranger. I need my beauty sleep." He wrapped his arm around her holding her close and gently kissed her on the lips. As time went on he was beginning to find himself falling more and more in love with her, although his feelings towards Jen would never change. "I love you." He smiled faintly. "I know I don't say it enough. But I really do love you." He ran his hand through her hair.

"I love you too." She took his hand. "And I know that Jen was very important to you. You two share this connection that I don't want to take from you. She's Sky's mother, always will be."

"You're very important to Sky too." Wes paused for a moment. "And he finally told me what he wanted for his birthday, other than going to the beach where we spread Jen's ashes." He took her hand. "He wants you to adopt him."

"He said that?"

"Well, not in those exact words, he's only going to be seven. But he did ask for you to become his mother. I have a date set in a couple of weeks to go through the process." He looked into her eyes. "That is if you want to."

"What about Jen?"

"Jen will always be his mother, nothing will ever change that. But no one ever said you can only have one mother. So what do you say?"

She almost had tears in her eyes. This was the happiest moment in her life, nothing could ruin this. "I'd love to. So when should we tell him?"

"On his birthday. I also do have another gift. My dad is supposed to pick it up on the way, although he didn't seem too thrilled, but….he'll do anything for his grandson." He turned to her and smirked. "You don't hate anything with four legs, do you?"

"You didn't?" Wes just gave her a sidelong look. "The one he really liked?"

"I'm not saying anything."

"Oh really?" She grinned and rolled on top of him. "Even if I do this?" She pressed her lips against his.

"You're going to have to do better than that, if you're going to get anything out of him." He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her close as they continued to kiss and enjoy each other company and warmth. Everything seemed perfect now; he could have everything he could ever want. And at that moment he felt that nothing could ever interfere with the feeling he was feeling now.

* * *

"Hey. How was your day?" Eric was lying on his bed with his phone to his ear while he had the TV playing silently in his dorm.

_"It was good. We had a lot of fun today. How about you?"_

"Oh, you know, same old same old. Training the ranger squad, taking down bad guys, missing you and my little girl."

_"We miss you too. So have you warmed up to Cruger yet?"_

Eric tried not to laugh. "I'm…I'm tolerating him. So had she said daddy yet?"

_"Eric, she isn't even a year old." _

"I know. It just seems so long. Either I'm here or there." Eric rubbed his eyes feeling sleep start to take over him. It had been a long day of workouts, chasing criminals and more workouts. "I don't know, maybe I shouldn't be doing this anymore," he mumbled.

_"Eric? Is everything okay?"_ Her voice was filled with concern. Eric loved his job. He loved being a ranger, helping people, making a difference.

He was slightly caught off guard, not knowing he had said it out loud. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

_"Okay. I'm going to let you go, so you can get some rest. I love you."_

"I love you, too. Night." He hung up his phone and stared at the TV for a moment before turning it off. He turned the lamp off and the room filled with darkness, but Eric remained awake, wondering if this was what he still wanted. For as long as he could remember he had always wanted this, the excitement, the action, power, but now… he wasn't so sure. He looked at his morpher, wondering if it still meant as much to him as it did the day he first morphed into the Quantum ranger.

Funny how a few years seemed to change the way he used to view things, so much had happened to him, had changed him, to become the person he was today. Did he still need the morpher? Or was there more to life than being a ranger? His eyes grew heavy and he was asleep before he could come up with an answer; he was drifting off into sleep.

* * *

"Of course, Empire Gruumm, I will not fail you. I will see to it that the individual is removed, and if I happen to take more out in the process, well let's just say you won't have to pay me for them," snickered Merlock as he talked through the visual holograph.

_"You'll get more than enough once the job is done."_

"Yes." Merlock grinned. "How is the girl, Mora, right? The daughter of the late red and yellow space rangers?"

_"How do you know of the child?"_

"I have my ways." Merlock laughed under his breath. He had learned a long time ago to be one up on who he worked with. And with working with someone like Gruumm one can never be too careful. "…Oh but don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

_Gruumm's__ eyes grew red with fury. He had heard that Merlock was troublesome, but at the moment he had no choice but to work with him. Merlock was the best in the business. "I'll be in contact with you tomorrow."_

"I'll be waiting." Merlock cracked his knuckles together, making loud snapping sounds. "Enjoy the last few hours you have, hero, they surely will be your last." His laughter hissed through the night….

* * *

Eric jerked in his sleep, as if something had spooked him. He looked at his clock; it was 4 AM, he still had a good three hours until he needed to be up to train with the ranger squad. He nestled back into his bed and fell asleep once again...

Eric woke up in a fright. The sirens were blasting off loudly. He jumped out of bed; the clock read 7 AM. It was morning. _Those aren't the wake up sirens._

_"All personnel respond, several reported attacks happening in country square, civilians in danger. We need all available squads to respond, and assist ranger squad."_

"Well, it looks like I won't be eating Sunday breakfast." Eric reached for his morpher on his nightstand and morphed into the Quantum ranger.

_"Eric?"_ Crugers voice came from his morpher.

"Already on it, sir." Eric was out of his dorm in a flash, his heart racing. He knew they wouldn't have asked all the squads to respond unless it was something _real bad._

Eric stopped dead in his tracks, watching as all the squads traded fire with thugs that were joined by an alien that Eric recognized right away as Merlock. He felt his heart skip a beat suddenly, his concern became for his team that was taking most of the damage, dodging _real_ bullets, and unlike him they weren't protected. And neither were any of the other squads, the bulletproof vest would only last for so long. And from what he heard Merlock was extremely dangerous, that scared him more than anything.

"Squads C and D, fall back and get those civilians out of here. Move it!" Eric yelled, getting in front of them as he made his way into the open to get into range with Merlock.

The C and D squads began rounding up as many as they could, getting the civilians to safety and away from the gunfire. But there were so many, and many were still in the nearby buildings that were now bursting into flames.

"Come on, you heard the Commander," said one of the C squad cadets. "Let's get these people out of here!"

Eric ducked behind a car and began taking shots at several of the thugs, taking them out, but it was relentless. "B squad, move forward and assist A squad!" Eric watched as the B squad advanced forward, joining the A squad and taking cover along with them. Eric leaned against the car and reloaded his weapon, and noticed one of the cadets lying next to him wasn't doing so well. He had been shot and was bleeding continuously.

"It's bad, isn't it?" His breathing was slowing down. He coughed hard and his lips turned bright red, covered in blood.

Thankfully his helmet was on, so that he could hide the real seriousness of the situation. There was no way…. "Hang in there, cadet, we're going to get out of here." Eric grabbed the cadet's arm, but it was already too late. The cadet's eyes rolled back and he was gone. Never had he felt so close to death, as right now. "Shit!" Things were bad. People were getting hurt. People were dying, right before his very eyes. If he didn't think of something quick the whole department could go down, taking dozens of Newtech civilians with it.

"Yes. Kill them, kill them all!" Eric heard Merlock laugh loudly.

"That does it!" Eric leaped over the car and headed straight toward Merlock. "Merlock, you're under arrest!"

"Well, if it isn't the famous Quantum ranger. I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, face to face." Merlock tried to look for himself in Eric's visor, but found no reflection.

Eric tapped on his helmet. "Sorry pal, but you won't be finding yourself today." He raised his blaster. "Now if I were you, I'd call off your men and surrender."

Merlock smiled cunningly. "And if I don't?"

"Well, then I guess things will just have to get messy, now won't they?"

"We're with you, Commander," announced Dash as he and his teammates joined with him, all tired and even wounded, but they weren't about to back down from a fight and leave their commander to fend for himself. No matter how badly they were hurting, they had been chosen to be rangers, and a little bleeding couldn't stand in their way.

"Oh, how touching." Merlock charged at them head on. "Prepare to die!"

* * *

Cruger watched the screen helplessly, as Eric and the future A squad rangers fought against Merlock, a powerful enemy, while the other squads attempted to take down the remaining gang members and bring the people in the surrounding area to safety. It was almost like watching his planet being defeated all over again. He even felt himself reach for his sword, but it was no longer in its holding place. He had given up fighting a long time ago.

Kat walked up behind him. "Sir. They…"

"Get in contact with Wesley Collins, the team needs him."

"But sir…"

Cruger turned to her and nearly barked into her face. "That's an order. I will not ask you again!"

"Of course."

* * *

Wes was playing ball in the park with Sky. Lisa smiled, watching as her two favorite men enjoyed the nice Sunday morning; they couldn't have asked for a better day. She laid out the blanket they had brought along for their picnic lunch.

"Good catch, son."

Sky threw the ball back to his father. "Dad?"

"Yes?" Wes tossed the ball back to his son.

"Do you think you could teach me a few karate moves, before we eat lunch? Please. I promise I'll only use it for self defense."

Lisa grinned when Wes looked, smiling, back at her. "Sure." He took his glove off and tossed it over to Lisa. "Come here."

"Yeah!" Sky dropped his glove and went running towards Wes.

"Okay, first you need to get into a stance like this, your front leg out in front and your back leg back here, holding your weight."

"Like this?" Sky tried to imitate his father's stance.

"Almost." Wes helped him get in the right stance. "All right, good! Now move your arm up into a guarding position." Sky did as his father told him to. "Good. You're getting better at this. I bet you'll be able to beat me up in no time."

"Dad..."

"Oh, okay. Next year." He laughed and got back into the stance to show his son the next move. "Okay, bring your back leg up and forward and jump and kick." Together the two did a jump kick.

"I did it!"

"You sure did!" Wes picked his son up and spun around in circles until he lost his balance and the two fell on the ground laughing.

"Okay, my two power rangers. Do you think the rest of training can wait until after lunch?"

"Yeah. I'm starved!" Wes jumped up and started towards Lisa, where she was setting out the sandwiches and drinks.

"Me too!" Sky ran forward to join his father and Lisa on the blanket.

"Wes, one bite at a time, before you choke yourself," scolded Lisa, watching as Wes chowed down on his sandwich like he hadn't eaten in days. "Besides, you're teaching bad habits to Sky."

"I thought you said that was one of the things you liked about me, that I could finish a meal in no time flat," grinned Wes, giving her a sly smile.

"Well, that was before-" Before she could finish Wes's morpher cut her off. "Wonder what that's about? It's your day off."

Wes set the remainders of his sandwich down on his plate. "Go ahead."

_"Wes, its Kat. Eric and the squads are in trouble; Cruger is asking for your assistance, can you make it?" _

That got everyone's attention; it was very rare that Eric was ever in any kind of trouble. Wes shared silent glances with his wife and son. He took a deep breath. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll take the flier. Just tell them to hang in there, Kat." About four month ago. Kat had created a flier similar to the one like Eric's, to arrive instantly whenever Wes called for it using his morpher. It had come in handy quite a few times, when he needed to get to Newtech City in a hurry.

_"Good I'll have the flier ready at your command. See you soon."_

"Well, duty calls." Wes stood up and brushed his pants off and looked down at his son, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, bud, but your Uncle Eric needs my help. You understand, right?"

"Yeah. I know your job is very important."

"Right. That's my boy." Wes patted him on the back.

Wes faced Lisa and kissed her gently on the lips. "See you when I get home."

She smiled back. "We'll be waiting."

Wes started backing away giving himself enough room to morph and call forth his flier.

"Dad, when you get home can we go over that move again?"

"You bet." Wes raised his arm and morphed into the red Time Force ranger. He called forth his flier. As it came flying above his head, he took one last look at his family before jumping into it.

Lisa and Sky stood back, watching, as Wes disappeared, heading towards Newtech City. "Be careful, Wes," she whispered.

"Yeah. Go get them, Dad!" cheered Sky, in the moment of his glory, recognizing his father for the hero he was and always would be.


	25. Answer The Call part 2

If you haven't wathced Reflection part 1 & 2, you might want to wait to read this chapter..

* * *

How had this happened? It was a blur to him now, as he lay there unable to move, blood dripping down the side of his head, boulders and parts of the ceiling on top of him crushing his wounded and beaten body.

He turned his head over in the direction where Eric lay, several feet away. He didn't even know whether his friend was alive or dead, lying under the pile of rubble. Outside the building he could hear voices working quickly trying to get them out before…. Wes gulped in heavily; it was painful to breathe. He knew his injuries had to be serious. It was getting harder to focus and the pain in his chest was growing stronger. He glanced over to where Merlock was beginning to get up, looking to be fine and ready for another fight. _How had this happened? He was a ranger. He had been through worse, or so he thought. _Ever so slowly it came back to him in a flash….

There was smoke everywhere. By the time he had arrived the destruction was enormous; one of the apartment buildings was already up in flames. Wes felt his heart racing fast as he flew above, watching as the cadets fended off the heavily armed thugs. He could see several of the cadets hurt and in need of medical attention, but the ambulance couldn't get close enough with all the shooting going on. And the other thing that scared him even more, was that Eric was nowhere to be seen and neither was Merlock. "You better be okay, Eric!" Wes flew the flier down on the ground and hopped off to join the cadets, in the never-ending battle.

Wes saw a man and woman cornered by several of the thugs; they were completely helpless. "Hang on!" Wes cried he jumped high in the air doing a flip over the thugs and now was in-between the man and woman and their attackers. Wes pulled his blaster out, pointing it right at the masked men. "Put your weapons down, you're all under arrest."

"In case you haven't noticed, you're a little outnumbered, Commander," laughed one of the thugs.

"Oh, believe me, I've been outnumbered far worse than this. So if you're wise you'll do as I say. Otherwise, you won't like the alterative. It's your choice."

The thug's eyes grew dark. He wasn't about to back down without a fight. "You heard the man, boys, let's see if he can live up to it," he snickered as he and his buddies closed in.

"Get behind me." Wes looked over his shoulder making sure the man and woman were both safely behind him. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Please," the woman cried.

"Don't worry, you'll be just fine." Wes turned back to the surrounding gunmen, watching as they came closer and closer, until it was like they were almost breathing down their necks. From behind the gunmen Wes saw Culby and Heather slowly approaching. "Wait. Wait a minute….Now, Culby!"

The leader of the masked men stopped looking at Wes, confused. "What?" He then turned, but it was too late; Culby, along with Heather, joined in the scene. Wes punched the leader in the face, knocking him to the ground hard; a fight then began to break out amongst them.

"Can you handle them? I got to get these people out of here," asked Wes.

"Yeah. We got it from here sir," announced Culby as he continued to fight the remaining gang members along with Heather.

"Good!" Wes turned to the man and woman. "Come on, let's get you two out of here." Wes helped both of them lean on his shoulders and he moved swiftly and quickly, getting them out of firing range. Once he believed they were a safe distance away, he stopped and looked them over quickly knowing he needed to get back to the fight to make sure there were no more innocent civilians there. "You both should be fine, wait for the ambulance to arrive."

"Thank you, sir."

"Yes, thank you."

"Just doing my job." Wes then turned and headed back towards the fight, where the fire was now breaking out and the buildings were beginning to come apart. Wes noticed that two of the cadets were unaware that the ledge on the building above them was getting ready to fall on top of them. He ran fast, leaping into the air. "Watch out!" He grabbed a hold of them rolling quickly away, before the ledge fell on where they had been standing only moments before.

"Commander Collins, I owe you one," said Dash, as he pulled himself to his feet helping the younger cadet as well.

"You're welcome. Where is the rest of your team?"

"Tanner and Gina are inside helping Commander Myers fight Merlock." Dash pointed towards one of the buildings that hadn't yet caught on fire.

"_Merlock_." Wes gripped Dash's shoulder. "Finish rounding up these guys. And wait for the fire department to arrive. I'll go inside and tell Tanner and Gina to assist you. Help as many as you can."

"Yes sir!" Dash turned to the cadet standing next to him. "Come on, you heard the commander." Dash then yelled to the other cadets to join them.

Wes turned, taking one last look, making sure Dash had the situation under control. "Good luck, kid. You're going to need it." Wes then ran into the building, in hopes to find his best friend alive and well.

* * *

Inside Eric and the two cadets fought hard against Merlock, who was growing stronger with every passing minute. Blaster fire was going all over the place, powerful enough to burst through walls. Tanner and Gina were taking most of the damage, since they weren't wearing the protective ranger suits. And Eric knew they wouldn't last much longer, but he also knew he couldn't win this battle on his own. 

"Your cadets are useless, admit defeat now and perhaps I'll spare their lives," mocked Merlock, knowing they were growing weary. It wouldn't be long until they were at his knees begging for mercy.

"Then you must not know us well enough. Rangers never admit defeat!" announced Tanner, standing tall, pushing all his pain aside, ignoring the blaster wounds and cuts on his face. Showing Merlock just how much will power a ranger truly had. That there was more than just the protective colorful suit, that it was the will of the person inside that counted.

"You got that right. The only way you're going to stop us, is by killing us," stated Gina firmly as she stood next to Tanner, ready and willing to go for another round, even if it was a battle to the death. She would keep on fighting until she could fight no longer; both Commanders Myers and Collins had taught her that. And both spoke highly of one female ranger in particular. She just hoped that one day she could live up to that ranger they spoke so highly of.

"Looks like you have another fight on your hands Merlock. Think you can handle it?" Eric held his defender gun firmly. He knew he had trained them well; any other cadets might turn away and admit defeat, but not these cadets and they were willing to fight to the death, like him, because that's what a ranger does. Never stop fighting. Never give up, no matter what.

"Very well." Merlock pulled a large blaster from behind his back. "It's the end for you…."

"Hold it right there!" Wes came running in blasting his blaster at Merlock.

Eric turned. "Wes! What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home," yelled Eric.

"You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, now did you?" Wes joined up with them while Merlock recovered from the blaster shots.

Eric laughed. It was just like Wes to show up when he was needed. Always dropping what he was doing if someone was in trouble. "Well, it's good to see you, but we did have the situation under control."

"_Right_." Wes turned to Tanner and Gina. "Cadets Wilson and White, go help your team with the situation outside, Commander Myers and I will handle things here."

"Yes sir!" they both yelled, as they ran out of the building to join up with their teammates.

Merlock laughed under his breath as he locked eyes with Wes. "Perfect."

"Shit!" Eric jumped in front of Wes, shooting several shots at Merlock. "Wes, it's your helmet. He can see his reflection and escape!"

"Thanks for the heads up." Wes quickly took his helmet off and blasted away his visor and tossed the helmet to the ground. Wes eyed Merlock with a sly grin. "You won't be going anywhere, now. The only way out is through _us_."

"If that's the way it has to be. Then so be it!" snarled Merlock. "You both better prepare for the battle of your lives, for it will be your last!"

"You talk too much." Eric turned to Wes. "Wes, let's say we show him what a little teamwork can do."

"I'm with you, partner." Both of them went charging together, headed right at Merlock.

* * *

Outside the squad teams were getting things under control, rounding up the thugs and handcuffing them before putting them into the large trucks, while other cadets assisted paramedics getting injured civilians and cadets medical attention. 

Dash and his teammates searched the surroundings, making sure everything was secure. "What do you think?" asked Dash.

"I think we got them all," answered Tanner as he continued to scan around the perimeter. "We should help the fire department with the building. We don't need the building with Commander Myers and Collins to catch on fire."

"Good. Let's move." Dash lead the way, as he and his teammates assisted the fire department with getting rid of the fire in the now demolished apartment building complex.

"I think we almost got it all," said one of the firemen as he and his team continued to blast the powerful force of water to take out the fire. Within moments the fire was gone, but so was the building, nothing was left but bits and pieces.

"Not bad for our first big fight," said Culby, putting his arms around Tanner and Gina.

"Not bad at all," smiled Dash, giving a thumbs up to his teammates, who all looked like they had been beaten to death. It had seemed they had done very well, no civilians had been killed, only a few cadets and some of the armed men. Then without warning there was a huge explosion. The windows in the building where Wes and Eric were fighting Merlock burst open, shattering glass all over, as part of the building came off and fell right in front of the entrance of the building.

Everyone's hearts raced and eyes widened in fear. "The boiler must have exploded," announced Gina, remembering that it had been steaming off when she had been in there, but had completely forgot about it due to the intense battle.

Dash reached for his radio. "Commander Myers, do you read? Commander Myers, please respond." Dash looked to his teammates and shook his head. This wasn't good. He shouted into the radio again. "Commander Collins, do you copy, please respond."

"That does it. I'm going in." Tanner pushed Dash aside and started towards the building, but another explosion rang though, forcing him back right into his team and knocking them all to the ground, along with everyone else.

* * *

Eric yelled out loudly as the powerful force of the boiler exploding pushed him back, hitting hard against the wall. He heard Wes cry his name several times over, as Merlock saw his chance and began firing at him, as he went through a forced demorph. Wes tried to reach Merlock to stop him, but Merlock was ready and with his other hand fired hard at Wes. The blast forced Wes back, hitting the wall hard. 

Powerful blasts were going off all over the place and combined with the explosion of the boiler. The building began shaking and the ceiling started to cave in. Large pieces of the ceiling fell right on top of Eric. "WES!" he cried, until nothing came out of his voice.

"Eric!" Wes pushed himself up and stared for Merlock, angry. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that!" He ignored his pain and went charging at Merlock, fighting for everything he was worth, fighting for Eric, because he wouldn't want him to give up. "This one's for you Eric!" Wes turned quickly and kicked Merlock hard in the head knocking him to the ground.

Merlock pushed himself back to his feet, rubbing his cheek. "Good, but not good enough." Quicker than light, Merlock moved faster, and got himself behind Wes grabbing a hold of Wes and twisting his arms behind his back.

Wes struggled to get free. He could feel Merlock's hot breath on his neck, laughing into his ear. Thinking fast, he raised his legs and flipped over, kicking Merlock in the back, forcing him away from him. He quickly used his blaster, shooting several shots at Merlock, not ever seeing where any of them were going and then... BOOM. The entire ceiling caved in and everything went black……

Wes tensed up. He was a sitting duck. He reached for his gun that was lying next to him with his one arm that was free to move around. He aimed his gun right at Merlock, trying to use all of his focus in taking Merlock down.

"Some hero you turned out to be," Merlock laughed as he moved towards Wes. "Even your friend put up a better fight than you. Gruumm was right that you would be easy."

"So this was a setup, removing me and my partner from SPD," stated Wes flatly.

"You, yes, your friend however was an extra bonus," Merlock snickered. "And once I'm through with you..." He gave a sly grin that sent chills down Wes's spine, "I think I might go after your son and pretty wife."

Anger and fury filled Wes's eyes; he began firing hard aiming right at Merlock. "You're not going to touch them!" he spat. "Not ever!"

"We shall see." Merlock reflected most of the shots, but one finally did make a direct hit and he dropped to the ground, gasping for air.

"Got you!" Wes eyed him coldly, watching as Merlock slowly fell into unconsciousness.

"And I got _you_." Those were the last words Wes heard him say, as Merlock's eyes closed with a sly and evil smile across his face.

And that's when he saw it, the very thing that Merlock was talking about. He had gotten him. Sometime during the time he was firing, Merlcok had tossed in a present of his own. A bomb, very small, but deadly enough to do what Merlock intended it to do. Wes tried to reach for it, but his arm couldn't reach far enough and his other arm was unable to move, lying under the piles of concrete and plaster broken from the impact of the ceiling falling onto it. By the time help would arrive it would be too late.

So this was it. This was how it all would end. Somehow this wasn't how he had planed spending his last few moments. He had pictured it with family, grown children, grandchildren. Not alone, lying under pieces of rubble waiting for death to come to him.

Not wanting to watch as the last remaining seconds of his life clicked by, he turned away and reached into his shirt pocket for his two favorite pictures. The ones he carried with him always. He pulled out the picture of his family, his father, Lisa, Eric and his son, Sky. He eyed them all closely, wanting them to be the last thing he would ever see, but then he looked to another picture, Jen. His son's mother, the woman he had never stopped loving, a day hadn't gone by that he didn't think of her.

It gave some comfort knowing he would be reunited with her. After all, for a long time that was all he had ever wanted, to be with her. But now, things were different. He had a family, a wife he loved very much and a son who meant the world to him.

And in those last few moments he saw his life flash before his eyes, everything that had ever happened to him he saw in flashes, like a movie, only going backwards, going back so far he saw the days long before his mother had died.

Tears ran down his cheeks. This really was it. He would die as a ranger, a hero, Sky's hero. _Sky…_ Like Jen he wouldn't be here to see his son grow up, go on to high school, learn to drive a car, his first date, graduation, marriage, children of his own. "I'm sorry, Sky…" Wes uttered those last three words and the time bomb clicked zero….

* * *

They had finally been able to find a way in. After the small explosion an opening had been made and it was enough to get in. Dash, along with his teammates, walked around, trying to find their commanders, using their flashlights. It was nearly dark by the time they had gotten in. It seemed so unreal that this had gone on all day. 

Dash walked on ahead and then came to a stop when he came in front of Commander Collins' helmet; he bent down and picked it up, bushing it off until he could see red again. He looked around, thinking that Wes wouldn't be too far. "Commander Collins?"

"I found Commander Myers," shouted Heather. Culby and Gina walked up behind her, watching as she moved a few pieces from the ceiling off of him.

Culby leaned closer, seeing his once proud and mighty commander now looking like a beaten dog. It didn't even look like him. "Is he...?"

Heather felt around his neck. "He's got a pulse, just barely." She turned to them. "We need to get a medic in here."

Dash continued to walk around until he spotted a large body lying on the ground. The first thing he could tell was that it wasn't human. "Merlock!" Dash kicked the body over. He could hear Merlock groaning, coming in and out of consciousness. He pressed his foot hard onto his chest pointing his blaster right at Merlock's face. "You're under arrest." Dash looked over to where Tanner had walked up ahead and came to a stop. "Tanner, did you find him?"

Tanner didn't answer. He stood dead still in his tracks staring down. He bowed his head heavily, and felt as a few tears leaked through his eyes. "Tanner!" Dash yelled again.

Gina came running from behind Tanner and came to a dead stop. "Oh my God! No!" she cried in shock. Tanner put his arm around her as she buried her face into his chest. Lying before them was Commander Wesley Collins, the best of the best of rangers. The one who would always answer the call for help. And in his hands they found the burnt and torn picture of his family. The people who meant more than anything to him.

"_Cadet Wilson, please report, this is Commander Cruger,"_ the voice came through from his radio, but Tanner didn't answer it. His face was still set onto his commanders that had given him his life. _"Cadet Wilson, respond! What is the status of the situation?"_ Again Tanner didn't answer the call. _"Cadet Wilson?"_

Gina grabbed his radio from his belt and handed it to him. He nodded his head, sighing. "Officers down. I repeat, officers down….."


	26. Answer The Call part 3

It was late. Everyone in the Collins home was fast asleep, totally unaware of what had gone on in Newtech City. Well, almost everybody was in bed. Philips the good old butler was still awake, waiting up for Wes to return, believing he would be hungry when he got home. Although part of it was a feeling a parent would have when it was getting late and their child wasn't home yet.

Philips looked at the clock, it was late. Wes would usually call long before this time if he was going to be late, or if he was just planning on staying in Newtech City and coming home in the morning. It wasn't like him, not like him at all, not to call. The phone then rang. "Oh good." Philips got up and answered the phone. "Master Wes, thank God, we were beginning to…" It wasn't Wes, another voice was on the other end, a voice he didn't recognize. "Yes, Mrs. Collins is home, but it's very late, she's…." Philips turned to look at the clock, it was near two in the morning. "May I ask what this is about?" His face turned white as a ghost as he listened to the voice on the other end. "I understand; we'll be there right away…"

* * *

The time difference was a good twelve hours. Collins sat in a board meeting, going over several proposals with some of the main benefactors in his company. Things had been going extremely well, so well that he might be able to go home a few days before his grandson's birthday. They were just getting ready to go over the upcoming expenses when a woman walked in.

Mr. Parker looked up. It was his secretary. "Kristina, we're in the middle of something, can it wait?"

"No, I'm afraid it can't. The man on the other end said he has an urgent message for Mr. Collins." She walked up to him carrying the portable phone and handed it to him.

"I'm sure it's nothing. I'll just tell them I'll call them back." He put the phone to his ear. "Hello. Would it be all right if….." His face turned white as a ghost and it felt as if his heart had stopped. Everyone in the board room stared at Collins, wondering what was wrong. What could have happened to cause the frightful and painful look in his eyes, and the stingy tears urging their way out.

"Alec, is everything all right?" asked Parker. But Collins didn't answer; he continued to sit in his chair with the phone to his ear, doing all he could to hold himself together. "Kristina, who called?"

She gave a faint smile with saddened eyes. "Newtech City SPD hospital, it's about his son…."

* * *

It was nearly seven in the morning. They had been sitting there for hours since Philips had dropped both her and Sky off, no one had come to see them yet. And everyone they asked didn't seem to know what was going on, or that's what they said. But somehow she knew something bad had happened. And she knew it either had to do with Wes or Eric, or both of them. That would be the only reason why they were called down here. Any others matters of SPD wouldn't have concerned her unless it had something to do with her husband.

Another thought then crossed her mind, if it was about Eric, then Hayley would be here. But she hadn't seen Hayley anywhere, she had even tried calling her, but no one answered the phone.

She hated waiting. It only seemed to make things harder and continued to let the fear flow through her, filling her mind with all sorts of possibilities that she didn't like.

She sighed heavily as she turned to Sky. He had been sitting silently, not saying a word, hadn't even asked to go to the bathroom or for something to eat. He just sat there with his head down, staring at the floor. She gently rubbed his back, hoping to take some tension off of him.

Footsteps started coming towards them; she looked up and saw three uniformed men heading towards her and Sky. She recognized two of them as Tanner Wilson and Dashel Jackson, two of the A squad cadets who Wes and Eric had chosen to become A squad rangers. The other young man she didn't recognize. She had hoped when she saw them heading towards them that finally she would get some answers, but that thought withered away into nothing when she saw what Dash was holding.

Dash, Tanner and the other cadet stopped in front of her and Sky, as they stood up. For a moment they locked eyes, not saying anything. Dash sighed heavily, he had never done this before and he hoped he would never have to again, but he owed it to them, to _Wes_. "Ma'am." He looked at Sky briefly, which made this even harder to do. "I'm sorry." He bit his lip hard, trying to hold back his own grief and sorrow as he handed young Sky his father's helmet.

Sky took the helmet, looking at it and then staring up to Dash, but couldn't find the words for what he wanted to say. But he was old enough to know what this meant. His father wasn't going to be coming home.

Lisa broke down into tears, and soon found herself being consoled by Tanner and the other cadet. The man she loved, the man she was going to start a family with, was gone. All their plans and dreams were gone now. A little more than six months, that's all they had, there would be no babies, no honeymoon, no growing old together, time had taken that away from them. "No. Wes!"

Tanner didn't know what to say or do. If only they had been a little faster, if only he had stayed to help fight Merlock, maybe then none of this would have ever happened. If only he…

Dash knelt down in front of Sky, staring the young boy in the eyes. He gripped Sky's shoulder. "I want you to know that your dad saved a lot of people yesterday. Dozens of lives were saved because of him. He's a real hero and you should be very proud of him." What else could he say? There was nothing he could say to make things better, make it easier.

Sky didn't answer, just looked from the helmet to Dash. And then for several seconds he just remained with his father's helmet, trying to envision how his father looked when he wore it. How it made him feel everyday to know his father was a hero, out there in the world saving lives. How he wanted so much to be just like him. And now all he wanted was to have his dad back.

He was on the verge of tears, trying to hold them back, trying to be brave, but that all stopped when he heard footsteps behind him and found his grandfather and Philips heading towards him. "Grandpa!" Sky ran towards his grandfather, jumping right into his arms, dropping his father's helmet in the process.

"It's okay, Sky. I'm here now." Collins wrapped his arms around his grandson, holding him tightly, trying to take all the pain away, but he knew it wasn't going to be that simple. Nothing would ever be the same again. He would soon be joined by Lisa. And soon a feeling he thought he had put behind him came back, he was reminded of the days of when his wife had died and he nearly lost Wes, and now eighteen years later, he had lost Wes after all. His only son, only reminder of his wife, who he loved so much, was gone….

* * *

He sat in the bar, drinking his third? Fourth? Maybe, fifth beer? He wasn't sure; he had lost track sometime after the news report came in. The sound was turned off, and mostly everyone wasn't paying a bit of attention to the report, they were too much involved with their own lives to care about what had happened. But he didn't need the sound to know what it was about, who it concerned.

He had already known. He had always known. He knew when he walked into the bar just hours before. He had known for the past two years that this would happen. That there was a chance that Wes, his double, Sky's father, and the man Jen would love forever could….. He sighed heavily, feeling a pang of guilt and sadness overwhelm him. After saving dozens of lives, that's how it all ended for Wes.

They showed Wes's photo over the TV, but he didn't need to worry, these days he no longer resembled Wes. He had grown a beard, a nice clean cut one; just enough for him to get by without anyone calling him Wes or asking if he was related to the Collins family.

He took a sip of his beer, but kept his eyes on the TV, but then it was gone; someone had switched it to the sports station. But they must have noticed the look in his eyes. "Sorry pal, were you watching that?"

Alex turned to him briefly. "No. I was finished anyways." He finished his beer off and then set some cash on the bar and left.

It was dark out, slightly cold. He buttoned up his jacket and started walking down the sidewalk, not sure where he should go now or where he would end up. He was a long way from Silver Hills. He wasn't even in California anymore. He had thought about going back; checking in on Sky, see how he was doing. But…Something told him that would be a bad idea. It would be too confusing for Sky and he knew the farther he stayed away the better.

But that didn't take away the guilt. Maybe if he had told Wes, maybe things would have turned out differently. Or even a bigger maybe. Maybe he should have taken Wes's place, but that would only cause problems. Time Force would find out that the future had changed, and that could change everything he had worked so hard for, getting Sky here. Whether for the better or worse, he would never know.

Alex found his mind wandering over a lot of people that night, as he walked along the sidewalk, passing by homes, watching through the windows as families and friends enjoyed each other's company. Sky. Wes's father, Eric, who was lying in a coma with Hayley at his side. Trip, Katie, and Lucas. People he knew he would never see again. He'll never know what would become of his three friends, if they would marry, start families.

For the past two years he hadn't really made too many friends. He wasn't in one place long enough, always passing through, working where he could for a little cash. The truth was, the last friend he had been in any contact with was Tommy, that was two years ago.

He had nothing going for him. No friends, no family, nothing. He was just a wanderer really. Not that it was bad, traveling around, seeing places, meeting people. It was a kind of life many would dream of, but….He was _alone_.

He thought about starting over, creating a new name, finding someone to spend the rest of his life with. Landon, his ancestor, had done it and somehow had gotten away with it, but for some reason he couldn't find himself doing that. He _had_ a family. And those were the happiest and hardest five years of his life.

He found it ironic, that losing family had become a factor in his family's generation, as if the Drakes and Collins families were cursed in someway. Alex only hoped that the curse would skip a few generations and that Sky would have a long and happy life with whomever he chose to spend it with, but not before going through some troubling years. He knew that the once young, caring, sweet hearted boy he had known would be no more. The Sky he had known would be gone…

Alex looked down at his wrist. The time device that had brought him and Sky here, he still had it. He bit his lips, wondering if he should stay or if he should go. He had done all he could here, perhaps it would be for the best for him to return to the future and start a new life somewhere else, on another planet maybe. It would at least take away the temptation to go to Silver Hills and see Sky. It would take the temptation of a lot of things away. If only things had been different, if only there had been another way, if only…

Alex slumped down on the sidewalk, bowing his head down, trying to figure out what the next step was. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't know. He remembered when he had always known what he was going to do, and now he was coming up empty on an answer.

"Somebody help me!" Alex jumped quickly to his feet and ran towards a house where he saw a young woman being attacked by mugger with a knife.

"Shut up lady, or I'm going to kill you!"

"Or how about you get your ass out of here before I kick it?"

The mugger turned around and just smirked at Alex who looked like he lived out on the streets. "You, kick my ass? Don't make me laugh, if I were you pal I'd turn around and walk away."

"Sorry, can't do that."

"Fine. You'll be sorry."

"We'll just see about that." Alex watched as the mugger came at him with the knife, but Alex was quicker and faster. He grabbed the mugger's wrist and twisted it behind his back, until the knife dropped to the ground. Alex then shoved the mugger to the ground. "Get out of here!"

The mugger took off, running like the wind. Alex bent down and picked up the knife and tossed it in the trash.

"Thank you. I thought I was dead."

"It was nothing. Glad I could help." He smiled briefly and started walking away.

"Wait, I didn't even get your name!" She ran after him. "I'm Jill. Jill Marks."

He stopped. He wasn't sure why, but something was telling him to turn around and answer. "My name's Al….I mean my name's Drake Alexanders." He shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She smiled, looking him in the eyes. She could see so much behind those blue eyes, the sadness and loneliness.

"Well, I should be going." He turned away.

"Wait, I'd like to repay you for helping me."

"You don't have to. Just think of it as kindness amongst strangers."

"But we're not strangers anymore. I know your name and you know mine."

Alex stopped and turned around. It had been so long since someone seemed to care. "Really, you don't have to give me anything."

"How about something to eat? You look like you haven't had a home cooked meal in a long time."

He was hungry, now that he thought about it, but he wouldn't be staying here for long. He had to get moving, think about what he was going to do.…. There was just something about her smile, so warm, seeming to care. It seemed so long since anyone had looked at him in that way. "Aren't you afraid that I could be just like the mugger?"

"I think if you were, you would have done something by now. Besides, you look like the trustworthy type. Come on, it's just a little dinner." She smiled. "Think of it as kindness amongst strangers."

Alex had to laugh at that. She had used his own words against him. "Well, I guess a little dinner couldn't hurt."

The two then started towards Jill's front door. "So Drake, where'd you learn to fight like that? Were you a cop or something?"

"Something like that. How 'bout I tell you over dinner?" Of course leaving out a few minor details. Maybe he could start a new life here; after all he had just created a new name for himself and was at the beginning of creating a friendship. Just maybe things have a way of working out in the end.

* * *

It was like he was dead. This couldn't be the strongly built and willed man she had married. The man she married would never have allowed this much damage to himself. Both legs broken, heavy bruising to his ribs, a massive head injury, this couldn't be him. There had to be some mistake.

She held his hand in hers and stared at his face, but unlike so many times before, he didn't react to her touch. "You can't leave me. I need you. Your daughter needs you." Megan, their daughter, just a little more than a month old, who might now never know her own father. A thought Hayley couldn't bear to think about. Megan had already lost her uncle; she couldn't lose her father too.

She felt tears run down her face, even knowing that somehow she was the lucky one, Eric had survived his attack, whereas Wes had died before they could get to him. There was no chance of saying one last goodbye; no more I love you. She didn't even want to imagine what the Collinses were going through, what Sky… _Sky_, his father died just when he was a few days shy of his seventh birthday.

"How is he?" Hayley turned to see Collins standing by the door. He didn't even look like the prominent business man she had known.

"The same. The doctors don't think he'll make it."

He bit his lip as he slowly walked in and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "If there is one thing I know about Eric, it's that he's a fighter." But then so was his son.

"Yeah he is," she whispered, giving him a faint smile, as she wiped her eyes. "How's Sky doing?"

"About what you'd expect. I can't seem to get him to eat. It's just going to take some time." Collins sighed. He was never good at these kind of things, but this time around he was going to do things right, not the way he had gone wrong back when Wes had been a child, after his mother had died. "If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to call. We're family."

Hayley smiled, grateful for his concern and kindness. "Thank you. Please tell Sky and Lisa I'm thinking about them."

"Of course," he answered.


	27. A Small Price to Pay

It had been nearly two weeks, since Wes's passing. The funeral had taken place just a couple days after he had died. It was both wonderful and sad at the same time. Wes had been honored for his bravery and would go down in SPD for being a great ranger and true hero, but he died so young, leaving behind his young son, who still needed him.

There still had been no change in Eric's condition and each passing day made it even less likely he would wake up and recover. Hayley hadn't left his side, while her parents stayed at her home taking care of Megan. Everyone was hoping that somehow Eric would pull through and give some light to this tragedy, but part of Hayley was dreading that, because when and if Eric woke up, that would mean she would have to tell him what had happened…

Sky's birthday came at went, as if it was just any day. There was a party, a few friends and family. No one, especially Sky, felt like celebrating his seventh birthday. His heart just wasn't in it. His grandfather tried to make it a happy day, but it seemed no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his grandson to smile.

And then there was Lisa who had slowly been drawing away from him and Sky. She was hurting a lot more than she was admitting to. He knew all too well what she was going through, which was one of the reasons why he didn't push too much when she said something about moving back to Ohio to be with her family, as hard as it would be for Sky. He knew she needed to do what she felt was right for her. He couldn't force her to stay here, not even for the sake of his grandson. After all, she had no legal rights towards him. Wes had died before they had a chance to go through the process.

"You know you're welcome to stay here; this is your home too."

She smiled faintly at him as she packed up her things. "I know. But it just doesn't…" She tried to hold back her tears. The memory of losing Wes was still very fresh in her mind. Everything about this place reminded her of him.

"I know." He paused for a moment and turned towards the hallway where he saw Sky standing watching as Lisa packed her things. The boy's face was sad, maybe even angry, feeling as if everyone was leaving him all at once. He took off running when he saw Lisa staring at him.

"Sky..." Things wouldn't be so hard, if it weren't for having to leave Sky. She loved him very much, like a son, but things were different now, more complicated.

"You know you can visit him whenever you want." Collins knew Wes would want her to still be part of Sky's life.

She didn't answer, just gave a weak smile with tears still sparkling in her eyes as she continued to go on her way of getting her things together and bringing whatever memories she could. They had only been married six months, but she would never forget the time they had together as a family. It would stay with her for always.

Collins stayed for a moment and then left the room and started to head towards Sky's room. He then saw Philips exit out of Sky's room, closing the door behind him.

"He asked to be left alone for a while."

Collins nodded his head, sighing. He knew it wasn't fair to Sky. His father had just died. His mother had died two years ago and now Lisa was leaving him. It didn't occur to him until then that that was how Wes must have felt all those years ago after the death of his wife. He saw Philips start to head down the stairs. The man who had stayed with him through it all and had never asked for anything in return. "I never really thanked you, for being there for Wes all those years ago. You were more of a father to him than I had ever been."

"There is no need to thank me."

"No, back then I was wrong. You had been right; if it weren't for you he probably have ended up hating me."

Philips turned. "You're wrong. Wes loved you very much. I was just the old kindhearted butler, but you will always be his father."

Collins smiled. Philips had put up with a lot from him over the years and through it all he had stuck with him and now years later he needed him more then anything. "I'm going to need your help again. Just in case I can't get back up again."

"And I'll be right there to help you up, sir."

"Don't you think we've known each other long enough for you to call me Alec?" He smiled faintly. "After all we're practically family."

Philips didn't answer, just smiled faintly and then headed down the stairs to go about his daily duties.

A few days later, Lisa had left the Collins home, _her home_. The goodbyes were painful and hard, as she hugged both Alec and Sky goodbye. She wished she could stay, but being in that house, that room, without Wes; it was almost unbearable. Because every night when the clock clicked seven, she expected, she hoped to see Wes coming through the door, just like he always had, but when he didn't come, then it came back to her, Wes was gone. He wouldn't be coming home this time.

Not being able to handle one more goodbye, Sky ran into the house and up to his room. Tears were in his eyes, not being able to understand why everyone he loved was leaving him. It just wasn't fair. All the kids at his school had both their parents and now he had no parents, never had he felt so alone.

"I'm sorry," whispered Lisa as she stared Collins in the eyes, tears sparkling.

"I know." He sighed heavily. "He'll be okay. One day he'll understand," Collins told her, giving her one last hug before she got in her car and drove off. Hoping one day, when she was ready she would return.

About a half hour later Collins opened Sky's bedroom door and went and sat next to him on the bed. It only took a moment for Sky to throw himself in his grandfather's arms. The only family he had left. "You aren't going to leave me, are you grandpa?"

"No." He gently rubbed Sky's back. "Not for a long time." At least that's what he hoped, but through his years he has learned that sometimes things don't always turn out how you plan them to, sometimes life has a plan of its own. He wrapped his arms around his grandson, holding onto him, trying to take away whatever pain he could.

He turned his head to Sky's nightstand where a picture of Wes and Sky rested, a moment that would be frozen in time forever.

* * *

"Yes. Thank you, I'll give him the message," Philips hung up the phone and walked over to the kitchen table where Alec was eating his breakfast and reading the newspaper.

"Who was it?"

"It was Mrs. Lee, asking if we were still interested in…" He couldn't even get the words out. It was almost too painful to think about.

Collins sighed and turned to the next page of the paper. "I don't know. It might not be a good time." He turned his head towards the window, looking at the backyard where Sky was practicing his martial arts, some of the moves Wes and Eric had taught him.

"Maybe it would help. It's the last thing he left behind for Sky." Without another word Philips picked up Alec's empty plate and went to go wash it, while Collins continued to look out the window, watching his young grandson.

* * *

Sky was lying in his bed under his covers, holding the picture of his father and him, just staring. They had been so happy back then, two of a kind, hardly ever apart, and now... He took a deep breath, knowing he had to be strong, be brave, that's what his dad would want. "I promise one day I'll make you proud, I'll be the best ranger I can be, just like you, Dad." And that's what he wanted, right then and there. He knew that one day he would go to SPD, train hard every day to one day become a power ranger, just like his dad. He carefully set the picture back on his nightstand. He was getting ready to turn off his lamp, when he heard a knock at his door.

"Sky, are you still up?" he heard his grandpa say.

"Yeah."

Collins opened the door with a smile on his face. "I have a surprise for you; actually it's your birthday present from your dad." Sky looked at him, confused, he didn't see anything in his grandfather's hand. He then saw his grandfather move a little ways away from the door. And once his grandfather came back into view, he saw something that he never expected to see.

"A puppy!" He sat up and the biggest grin came onto his face as he watched his grandfather place the great Dane puppy on his bed. Sky laughed when the dog licked his face. Which brought a smile to his grandfather's face, it seemed like forever since he had seen his grandson happy. "But I thought that you're allergic to dogs."

"They have medicine for that, and shots."

"You hate shots."

"Well, this time it's an exception. He's all yours, Sky."

"Thank you!" Sky threw his arms around his grandfather. "I love you."

"I love you too," He gripped Sky's shoulder. "So what should we call him?"

Sky looked at his new puppy, who was wagging his tail. "Um, how 'bout Trip?"

"Trip?" A concerned look crossed his face. Wes had told him that Sky's memories had been altered and he had no memory of Trip or any of the others. "How'd you come up with that name?"

"I don't know. He just looks like a Trip, don't you think so, grandpa?"

Maybe he had nothing to worry about, after all. "Yeah, he does." He sneezed, but never lost the smile on his face. It was a small price to pay, to see his grandson smiling again.

**A few days later…**

His eyes stirred open. _What happened? _He was confused and unsure of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered_…the battle….the explosions….people getting hurt…Merlock and armed men shooting at him…The building collapsing…Wes. _He jolted up, feeling groggy and dizzy.

"Easy. You're still weak," consoled Hayley as she gently pushed him back down onto the bed of the hospital room.

"Hayley?" Eric turned to her, everything seemed so blurry and hazy, but slowly everything came together, one piece at a time. He looked around, taking in the scene. He was in a hospital room. He noticed several flowers, cards and balloons all over the room. "How long?" His voice was soft and dry. "How long have I been here?"

"Eric, you need to-"

"How long, Hayley?" He raised his voice, but then felt an surge of pain and he winced. His body hurt all over, like he had been hit by a truck, or large blocks of bricks dumped on top of him.

She sighed heavily. "A few weeks."

"_A few weeks_?" He couldn't believe it. It didn't seem possible. He had been hurt badly before, but he had always came out of it within a couple of days. "A few weeks. How?"

"You were hurt pretty bad." She began crying heavily. "The doctors didn't think you'd ever wake up." Hayley leaned forward and put her arms around him, crying.

He gently put his arms around her, trying to sooth her pain away. "It's okay. I'm here now."

"Don't ever leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere." He gently rubbed her back for a few moments. He couldn't even imagine what the past few weeks had been like for her, wondering, hoping, praying, that he'd make it through. "Where's Megan?" He didn't even want to think about what it would have been like for his daughter if he hadn't made it; she was only few weeks old or had been; now she was close to two months old.

Hayley sat up, taking Eric's hand in her own. "At home with my parents." She smiled brightly. "Waiting for her daddy to come home."

Eric smiled as he gently ran his thumb over Hayley's hand. "Well, you be sure to tell her that I'll be home as soon as I can."

"I'll do that." She smiled. Then as Eric leaned over for the phone, "Eric, you need to rest, you can't be calling people right now."

"Just one call." He placed the phone in his lap. "I need to tell Wes I'm okay." Eric remembered how concerned Wes had been for him when he got shot several times over. "He's probably been a mess. You know how he gets." Hayley's heart fell and she grabbed the phone away from her husband. "Hey! What's the deal, Hayley?"

"Eric..." She sighed heavily and soon her eyes filled with tears.

The look in her eyes made his heart stop and he slowly felt himself saying the very thing that scared him. "Hayley. What's wrong?" A deadly chill went down his back. "You're scaring me." And he wasn't one who scared easily. But the look in her eyes and the sound of her heartbroken voice terrified him more than anything. "He got out okay, right? Wes, he's okay, isn't he?"

Her face fell. How could she tell him? Wes, his best friend, the man he called his brother. How could she tell him what had happened? Finally gathering up the little courage she had, she looked back up, staring right into his face. "Eric, about Wes," she started, but her voice was breaking apart. She couldn't get the words out, to say the one thing she had been dreading for weeks.

"What about him?" But he already _knew_, in the pit of his stomach _he_ _knew_. Something terrible had happened. "What happened to Wes?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he demanded. "Tell me! Please, I have to know. Is Wes okay?"

"Eric." Hayley knew this would hurt him more than any of the injuries that had been inflicted on him just weeks before. It was greater then any kind of pain in the world. It was the kind of pain that just wouldn't go away anytime soon. She shook her head. "I'm sorry." She bit her lip, looking him right in the eyes. "Wes is gone."

And his world came crashing down. "No! No, no!" Hayley wrapped her arms tightly around him as he struggled with his anger, pain, unbelief. This couldn't be happening. He roared. "NO. NO!" She just held onto him. "He can't be gone. He can't…"

"Shh," she kissed him gently on the cheek. "It's going to be okay," she cried. "I promise."

How could things be okay? Nothing would ever be okay. His friend, his partner, his brother, was gone. Gone forever. His life would never be the same again, nothing would be. And then Eric's thoughts took a turn for the worse, _Sky. _Sky, Wes's seven year old son, who two years before had lost his mother, had now lost his father as well.

Eric gently pulled away from Hayley and got control of his emotions as best he could. "Sky?" And that's all he had to say.

She smiled faintly. "He's okay. Alec has been doing his best, had to take a leave of absence from work, just to be with him."

"What about Lisa?" Wes's wife, they had only been married for six months, they were talking about having a baby together. And now, all their dreams of a future had been shattered.

Hayley sighed again, as if losing Wes wasn't bad enough, but things had only gotten worse. "She was pretty messed up. She tried to stay strong for Sky, for Alec, but," she bowed her head. "It was just too much for her, being in that house, too many memories." She sighed heavily. "She left for Ohio a few days ago. She has family there."

Eric wanted to be angry. How could she just leave like that? How could she do that to Sky, to Alec, after everything Wes had done for her? But the look in Hayley's eyes told him that Lisa was heartbroken by the loss of Wes and it was just too much for her to handle. He put his anger aside, knowing that it would only make things harder getting through this. He needed to be strong for Sky and Alec. "I want to see them," he stated firmly.

"As soon as you're released from the hospital, we'll go see them. I promise."

"Good." A few moments passed with him just taking everything in. He had just woken up from being in a coma for a few weeks, and waked up in a world that was no longer the way he remembered it. Everything had changed; people who he thought would always be around were no longer there. "What about Merlock?"

"He's alive, but is being held without bail."

"Good," he stated firmly as he continued to look at the blank wall in front of him.

"You want to talk about it? What happened?"

"No. There's nothing to talk about," he answered all too quickly.

In the pit of her uneasy stomach she knew it wasn't over. This was just the beginning to a long road of recovery for Eric. From this day forward things would never be the same again.


	28. Eric's Fury

Eric walked slowly into the main room of the Collins home using his crutches. It had been just over a month now since he learned about what happened to Wes. It seemed so unreal to him. He half expected to see Wes coming down the stairs, with a charming smile, greeting him like he always had. But, not this time, unlike while he was in the hospital and could just pretend that none of this had happened, that everything was fine. Now that he was out, it was time to face reality.

"Eric, it's good to see you," announced Mr. Collins, walking up to him and briefly giving him a hug, trying not to cause any pain. "You gave us all quite a scare."

"It's good to see you too, sir," Eric responded. His face then became very grim "I'm sorry. I should have gotten him out sooner, maybe-"

"None of this is your fault." He gripped Eric's shoulder. "Besides, you know he wouldn't have listened." He smiled faintly. "All he ever wanted to do was help people." Collins gulped in hard, holding back his tears, knowing if he started now he might never be able to stop.

"Yeah," Eric replied softly, bowing his head, wishing he could go back to that day and fix all of this somehow.

"Alec." Hayley walked up to them holding Megan. "Where's Sky?"

"He's out back practicing the moves Wes was teaching him, just before…" He sighed heavily, holding back his tears. "I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me I have a phone call I need to make."

"Of course." Hayley watched as Mr. Collins walked up the stairs slowly, as if he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Eric?" Hayley turned back to where Eric was standing, but he was no longer there. She turned around and found him already moving towards the back of the house that led to the backyard.

"Not doing so well, are they?"

"No." Hayley turned around and found Philips standing behind her. "How are you doing? I mean, I know you and Wes were close."

Philips nodded his head. "Yes, ever since he was born."

It wasn't until now that Hayley had realized just how hard this was on Philips. The old kind-hearted butler, who had practically helped raise Wes after the death of Mrs. Collins. "He was like a son to you, wasn't he?"

Philips smiled faintly. He would never say it out loud, but yes, Wes had been like a son to him. He had watched Wes grow from a little boy to the man he had become and died as.

* * *

Eric made his way over to Sky, nice and easy, still getting used to the crutches. It was a big adjustment for him. He hated having people always keeping an eye on him as if he were made of glass.

He watched as Sky continued to punch the punching bag he and Wes had set up sometime last year for Sky.

"Hey pal."

Sky stopped and turned to Eric, staring up at him blankly and not saying a word. He didn't know what to say or do. Eric had been the last person to see his father alive, besides the one who was responsible for his father's death, but no one would tell him who that was.

Eric sighed heavily. In a way he knew what Sky was going through; when he was Sky's age he had lost both of his parents, or more likely was taken away from them and placed in foster homes. Several of them, no one seemed to have wanted him. But for Sky it was different, Wes had wanted him. It seemed as if that was all his life had been about, losses. And he was only seven years old. "I'm sorry about your dad." Sky still didn't answer just continued to stare blankly, as if the world had stopped moving. "I'm sure you've heard that a lot. Doesn't help, much. Does it?" He smiled faintly.

Sky sighed and put his head down. He was so young; he didn't quite understand why all of this was happening. It all seemed just so unfair. His father meant the world to him. His father had been his hero.

Eric put all his weight on one of his crutches and used his free hand to pat Sky on the shoulder. "I want you to know that your dad fought bravely." Eric stopped, not even sure if Sky understood what he was saying. "No one's braver than your dad."

Sky nodded his head, still not saying one word. Eric smiled and looked over at the punching bag. "Come on. How bout you show me how this thing works?"

That got a smile on Sky's face. "Okay. I bet I can hit it harder than you."

Eric laughed and messed with Sky's hair. "I'm sure you could, seeing as I can barely lift a spoon." Eric stood aside and watched as Sky punched and kicked the bag harder and harder each and every time.

Trip, Sky's puppy, sat watching the two, wagging his tail and barking happily.

"Good. Keep it up; it won't be long until you'll be able to whip my butt."

From inside Hayley watched Sky and Eric. She was happy to see them together, having fun and smiling. It seemed much too long since she seen Eric smile. She was beginning to worry about him; lately he seemed so tense around her. He hadn't even gone to Wes's grave. She had tried to get him to go, to get some closure, but he refused and would use some excuse. He wouldn't even talk about what had happened to her, to anyone for that matter.

She kept on telling herself that it's going to take time, that was all. But somehow, she felt the longer Eric kept his wall up, the worse it was going to get.

* * *

Later that night Eric sat on the couch reading the newspaper while Hayley was in the kitchen putting away the dishes. After she was done she joined him.

"You know, I was thinking that tomorrow we should go to the grave site. It's supposed to be a nice day."

Eric turned to the newspaper. "Not according to the weather report."

"Okay then, the next day."

"It's supposed to be bad all week."

Now he was just making excuses. "Eric, stop this."

"Stop what? I haven't done anything."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, Eric." She raised her voice. It was getting to the point where she could no longer stand it. She needed to get him to talk, to open up to her like he used to. "You're shutting me out. Ever since I told you about-"

"Don't you dare bring him into this! _He_ has nothing to do with it," he snapped.

"He has everything to do with it!" She knew she was overreacting, but she just couldn't take it anymore. She was at her breaking point with him. "You won't even-" A loud cry rang through the air. Their yelling had waked up Megan from her sleep. Eric stood up grabbed his crutches and started towards the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"To check on _our_ daughter. Thanks to you're yelling she woke up," he responded harshly.

Hayley started to go after him, but decided not to, knowing that they both needed some time to cool down. That's how most of their fights had ended, with him always using Megan as a way to break away, at least until the next fight. They had never fought like this before and it only seemed to be going from bad to worse.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't see him?" yelled Eric into the face of the cadet who was standing in front of the entrance to the command center.

"Commander Myers, you can't go in there right now."

"Out of my way!" The door swung open and one of the cadets went falling forward. Eric stepped over the cadet, limping slightly. It had been a couple of months now since he'd waked up out of his coma and had been released. He was off his crutches now, but only could walk for a short periods of time and had been put to desk work until he was fully recovered.

"Eric, what is the meaning of barging in here like this?" demanded Commander Cruger. "I told you I could not meet with you until late next week."

"Where is he?" Eric's face was firm. He wanted to know. He wanted him to pay and he hadn't been sitting on his ass for weeks gathering up his strength for nothing. He wanted to take action and he wanted to do it now.

"Where is who?"

"Don't play games with me!" Eric got right into Cruger's face. "You old dog." He was angry, more angry then he ever had been in his life, angry with himself, with Merlock, with Cruger, maybe even angry with Wes.

Cruger glared at Eric in the eyes. "Commander Myers, I don't like your tone and as your commanding officer, I demand you rephrase yourself."

"Where's Merlock?"

"I'm sorry, but I am not permitted to provide you with his location."

"The hell you aren't." Eric pulled out his blaster and pointed it right at Cruger's face. Several of the cadets started for their own blasters, but Cruger waved for them to stop. "I'm only going to ask you this once; where is he?"

Cruger sighed. He knew how hard this was on Eric. Eric had been the last one to see Wes alive. He had been Wes's partner and best friend. But he couldn't be allowed to see Merlock; it would be too dangerous. "Again I am sorry, but I cannot tell you his location. Given your condition and emotional state-"

Eric looked Cruger hard in the eyes. But he couldn't shoot him. It wasn't him he wanted to kill, but from that moment forward he knew things would be different between him and Cruger. "You bastard! You cold hearted bastard." Maybe he was being irrational, overacting, but at that moment he didn't care. "A little boy no longer has a father." Eric eyed him coldly. "How does that make you feel?"

Cruger bowed his head down, not responding. He wanted to say it made him feel terrible, but he knew that wouldn't be enough for Eric. It had never been enough. From day one Eric had always held something against him.

Eric could feel his voice breaking. "Why'd you have to call him? It was his day off?" He went on coldly, saying, "You _knew_ he'd respond to your call. You _knew_ he'd come." Eric was filled with so much anger that he didn't even know what he was saying. "How many more rangers are you going to get killed? With Wes gone, that makes seven? How many more will die because of _you_?" Eric then ripped his badge off his uniform, and threw it at Cruger. "Find someone else who's willing to die for you, but I sure as hell won't!" And with that said Eric marched out of the room, without even looking back.

"Eric. Wait-" But it was too late, he was gone. Cruger bowed his head down, sighing. He had known it was only a matter of time until Eric's emotions got the best of him, but he had never suspected that this would happen. He had never expected for a lot to happen.

The cadets in the room all stared at their Commander in disbelief and shock. "What are you all looking at? Get back to work!" he barked and stormed out of the command center, with Kat marching after him.

"Doggie!"

He stopped and slightly turned his head. "Do you have something to add, Dr. Manx?"

"Yes. Don't take your frustration out on the cadets; they have done nothing wrong."

"No." He turned to face her. "But I suppose you think I have." He eyed her carefully. "You think I made a mistake calling Wes Collins for help?"

Kat's face softened. "It doesn't matter what I think. What's done is done, there's no changing it. We just all have to move along and go on."

"Yes, we do." He nodded his head and turned around, but stopped for a moment. "Are the A squad morphers complete?"

"Yes. I need to run a few more tests, but they should be ready in a few months."

"Make them ready in a few hours. It's time to put the ranger squad to good use."

"But sir..." But he had already turned down the hall. Although she didn't like it, they didn't have much of a choice, they needed rangers. She just hoped that they were ready for the next step of becoming full active rangers.

* * *

Tanner and Culby were entering into the academy and passed by Eric as he stormed out the door. "Commander Myers," called Culby, but Eric didn't answer or even look back. It was as if his mind was on other things. "What do you think that was about?"

Tanner shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

_"Would the ranger squad please report to deck five."_

"Deck five? That's the main lab." Culby looked at Tanner, confused. What would they need to go up there for? "What do you think we're going to do there?"

"Only one way to find out."

The two headed towards the elevator and went up to deck five where they found their teammates. "Do you know what this is about?" asked Tanner as he and Culby walked out of the elevator.

Dash shook his head. "No. No idea."

"You know Commander Myers seemed upset when we saw him," announced Culby.

"You saw Commander Myers?" asked Heather.

Both Tanner and Culby nodded their heads. "Yeah, just a few minutes ago."

"How was he? Did he look okay?" asked Gina. "I mean it's just been a couple of months now since he's come out of the coma."

Culby was getting ready to respond until Cruger walked up to them. "Ah. Good, cadets, you're all here. Now if you all will follow me, we'll get the operation underway."

"Operation?" Dash looked at his commander, confused. "Commander, what are you talking about?"

"You're all moving up to ranger mode immediately, starting today. Now please follow me, Dr. Manx is waiting."

Looks of disbelief and doubt came across their faces. They still had several months of training until they were supposed to become rangers. "What?" Tanner said. The others followed with similar expressions, as they followed Cruger to where Dr. Manx was waiting for them.

Culby stopped. Something didn't seem right, something was wrong, otherwise they wouldn't be moving up to full ranger mode when they hadn't even fully prepared for it. "Wait, what about Commander Myers?"

The others stopped. They agreed with him. Where was their Commander? He should be here for this. Something wasn't right. "Yeah, where is Commander Myers, shouldn't he be here for this?" asked Gina.

"Yeah." Heather looked to Culby. "Culby, you said you saw him, what-"

Cruger turned to face them. "Commander Myers no longer is with SPD. You won't be seeing him again. Now, we have wasted enough time as it is. So if you will, please follow me." After that no one said a word. Cruger had made it clear he didn't want it brought up again.

He showed them into a room where Kat was working near a table where five morphers rested on the table. This was it. This was the moment they all had waited for, so why were they all feeling so uneasy about this? Was it too soon? Or was something missing? "Fall into line," ordered Cruger.

They did as they were told, stood tall and firm and kept their eyes locked with their commander's. "Due to recent events, I had no choice but to call you five up. Now I know you may feel that it's too soon, but I have the strong belief that you will not disappoint me. You all have trained hard and earned this honor to become power rangers, like those before you." He eyed them all closely as he walked past each of them. "But only one of you will receive the rank of leader. I thought hard and long about this, so with that said, the leader will be…."

* * *

"You did what?" yelled Hayley into her husband's face. She couldn't believe that he could be so arrogant and stubborn. Okay, she could believe it, but this time it was different. This time it was his job they were talking about. "You're going to turn around and drive to Newtech City and march right back into Cruger's office and get your job back. Even if I have to drag you myself!" She would not let him lose his job over what had happened.

"No!" he snapped. "I'm not going to work for that son-of-a-bitch." He looked her right in the eyes. "So you can just forget it. I'm not going back."

Hayley sighed heavily. "Please tell me your quitting has to do with your feelings towards Cruger, and not what happened to Wes." She would not let him quit because of Wes's death.

"Would it make a difference?"

"Eric, don't do this." Her voice softened. "Please talk to me."

"What for? For you to tell me what to do?" He looked her hard in the eyes. "Forget it. I made my decision and I'm not working for SPD anymore."

"Does that include Bio-Lab? Because they're a part of SPD too now," she reminded him. Although Collins still owned Bio-Lab, SPD had become a part of it, being a smaller location for the business, science and guard training.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Eric, wait!" she called after him as she tried to stop him from leaving, but he slammed the door in her face. She watched helplessly from the window, watching as he walked away, limping slightly. Not a second later, she heard Megan crying. "Hang on, honey, Mommy's coming."


	29. The Gift

It was late in the morning when she got the call from the Collins household. Eric had somehow ended up there late last night, distraught. Mr. Collins had let Eric stay in one of the guest rooms. He had wanted to call her that night, let her know where Eric was and that he was fine, but knew that the baby was probably sleeping and it wouldn't be good to wake her up in her sleep. So he had called her first thing in the morning. She called a sitter and hurried on over to the Collins home.

At this point she didn't know what she was going to do with him. He wouldn't talk to anyone about what had happened, what he was feeling. Nothing she did seemed to do any good. Only on a few occasions she had seen him smile, when he was with Sky or playing with Megan, it seemed only through them he was able to be at some ease on some level, but she had a feeling it might take some time until the Eric she had married would come back.

She sat in the living room next to Eric and Collins by his side. He had come up with something that might do Eric a little good. "I want you to go to Reefside and stay at the cabin, for as long as you need. I'm giving it to you. I haven't been up there in years and it will do some good to have someone staying in it for a while," Collins handed Eric an envelope that had the keys and papers for the cabin. "And when you're ready, there'll be a job here waiting for you."

Perhaps it would do Eric some good to get away, not to have to worry about anything. Just to spend some time alone with his family, get his life back on track. And Tommy would be around; perhaps he would be able to get through to Eric. She would have to take a leave of absence from her job, but at this point she was willing to do anything as long as it helped Eric and kept their marriage together.

Eric smiled faintly at him. "I can't accept this. It's too much," Even though the Collins had become like a father to him, treated him like a son. He couldn't accept the gift not after what happened.

"Don't think of it as a gift," And looked his straight in the eyes, becoming very serious. "I was planning on selling it, but then I remembered how special the cabin had been to Wes, so couldn't. The house should stay with family, so I'm passing it on to you, son,"

"I'm not your son,"

"Not by blood,"

He could go all day with reasons as why he shouldn't accept the gift, but he also knew Alec Collins, top businessman wouldn't give up so easily. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back." He was afraid if he left now, he might never come back. And that scared him more than anything.

"When you're ready; there's no pressure. No time limit." He gripped Eric's shoulder. "Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you," said Hayley. She was grateful for his kindness and concern and she knew that Eric would at least listen to him and respect his decisions.

Collins smiled and nodded his head and gently patted Eric on the back. "You're welcome."

* * *

The next two days were filled with packing up the necessary needs, clothes, Megan's baby things and a few odd and ends. Alec had told them he would make sure the house was taken care of while they were away so they wouldn't need to worry about anything. She had called Tommy the day before to let him know they were coming in. He told them to come to his place for dinner.

Now it was time to say goodbye, at least for a while. Hayley hugged Alec, thanking him for everything. And then she bent down to Sky and hugged him. "Take care, kid-o." She patted him on the head. "Be good for your grandpa."

"I will. Promise."

Alec smiled and then looked into Megan's little eyes, as he held her in her arms. He then bent down so that Sky could say goodbye.

"Bye Megan. I'll miss you." Sky held out his finger and Megan grabbed a hold of it, giggling.

Hayley smiled and gave Sky a moment until she gently took her daughter from Alec's hands, so that she could get her situated in her car seat for the long drive to Reefside. She then got in the driver's seat of the car and let Eric be alone to say goodbye.

Eric was slightly uneasy as he walked up to Alec and Sky. He hated goodbyes, but right now he needed to leave Silver Hills, to get his head together.

"Take it easy, so you can get yourself together, to take care of that family of yours."

"I will. You have my word." Eric shook his hand firmly, looking him directly in the eyes, trying so hard to keep it together. And then he found himself throwing his arms around the man who meant so much to him. "Thank you for everything you have done for me."

He patted him on the back. "You're welcome." He then stepped back, giving Sky some space.

Eric took a deep breath as he looked into Sky's eyes. He knew Sky understood why he had to leave, but that still didn't take the painful look of goodbye out of the little boy's eyes, who had lost so much in his young life. Eric bent down and grabbed a hold of Sky hands. "I want you to practice everyday, just like your dad and I taught you, can you promise me that?"

"I promise. I'll never stop, not till I'm the best." Sky smiled. "You'll come back, right?"

He didn't answer right away. He felt a lump in the pit of his stomach. "I'll come back. But until then I'll write you, everyday."

"Goodbye, Uncle Eric." Sky threw his small arms around his uncle's neck, gently feeling Eric wrap his strong arms around him.

"Goodbye, pal."

As they drove down the long driveway, Eric looked back one last time, wondering to himself if he would ever be able to come back and face the truth that he was not yet ready to face.

They stood outside, waving goodbye long enough for the car to disappear down the road. It was sad to see them go, but it was for the best. Collins bent down and picked his grandson up. "You okay?"

Sky shook his head and smiled faintly. "Yeah," he said softly, not so sure if he was okay or if he ever would be. So much had happened these past few months, so much had changed. Would anything ever be normal again? "Grandpa?"

"Yes, Schuyler?"

"Can we take Trip out for a walk?"

Collins smiled. "Sure." Although he and Sky had been close before Wes's death, they were closer than ever now. Through Sky he was able to live out the fatherhood he had once lost, but it had taken a tragedy for it to happen. His only hope now was that it wouldn't take a tragedy for Eric to open his eyes and keep on living.

* * *

"So how are things in Silver Hills, how are Sky and Mr. Collins?" Tommy asked, as he sat in his living room with Hayley and Eric. Megan was fast asleep in the back room.

"They seem to be doing better," replied Hayley.

Tommy nodded his head. "That's good." But somehow he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. It could have been him in Wes's place, maybe if he had taken Andros' offer, maybe then none of this would have ever happened.

"Tommy, I know that look." It was a look she had seen many times before. "Even if it had been you there, one way or another Wes would have found himself going to help."

"You know me too well, Hayley."

"That's what good friends are for." She smiled as she took a sip of her hot tea.

"Yeah." He returned the smile and then turned to Eric, who had been sitting quietly, speaking not as much as two words the whole time he had been there. In more ways than one he knew what Eric was going through. There was a time when he had blamed himself for what happened to Smitty, it had taken him a long time to realize that it hadn't been his fault, not really.

"So what are the kids up to? Have you heard from them?" asked Hayley. It had been at least two years since she had heard from any of them.

"Yeah. I heard from Conner last week, he's looking for donations to start up this soccer camp for kids to help keep them out of trouble. So I sent him a check to get him started."

"Good for him, I always knew he had a heart of gold. And Kira and Ethan?"

"Well, in a few weeks Kira's CD will be coming out. She told me we should all be expecting one from her. And Ethan is doing real well, he's at the top of his class, and a number of companies have already been in contact with him wanting to sign him up."

"Good. And Trent, his dad's still in town, right?"

"Yeah. Trent's been working hard at his art school and last I heard Disney's been talking with him. And every so often he does get to work on the comic books."

"That's great." She turned to Eric. "Right, Eric?"

He looked as though he hadn't been paying attention, as if something else was on his mind. "Huh? Oh. Ah yeah, right."

Hayley sighed; so far things weren't going so well. She smiled faintly and turned back to Tommy. "So did you ever hear from Alex again?"

He shook his head. "No. Nothing, not since he left my place, and that was over two years ago."

"He never said where he was going."

"No. I don't think he even knew." And then it all came back to him. The way Alex had acted, like he was hiding something, he had ignored it at the time, because Alex always had been distant and never said too much about the situation, but then the one thing he had said stuck out in his mind. _Just that he should be careful out there_.

"What?" Hayley asked, seeing that look on his face.

He didn't answer right away, unsure if it was something he should even say. "I don't know. It was something Alex said, just before he left." He glanced right at Eric. "About Wes."

That had finally gotten Eric's attention; all eyes were now on Tommy. "What about him?"

Tommy sighed, having a feeling Eric wasn't going to like it, but he had to say it anyways. "He wanted me to tell Wes to be careful out there."

"Out where?" asked Hayley.

"He knew." Eric clenched his fists together. "He _knew_."

Hayley quickly wrapped her arms around Eric, whether it was that she was afraid of him hurting himself or Tommy, she didn't know. "Eric, we don't know that."

"Yes, we do. Why else would he say something like that? That bastard, if I ever see him again-"

"Eric!" Hayley yelled. "Don't you dare call him that. After all he has done, all he has given up..."

"Oh yeah, he gave up a whole lot, just so Wes could have two years with his son and then die." Eric stood up and walked away.

"Eric..." Hayley was about to go after him until Tommy stopped her.

"Let him go, blow off some steam." Tommy sat back down on the couch next to her.

"Yeah. I'm just afraid he'll be bent on tracking down Alex and do God knows what to him."

"I don't think you have to worry about that. He knows it's not Alex's fault, he's just using that as a way to get angry, because to him maybe that's the only time he feels that everything is okay, if he's angry."

"Well, that's not very healthy."

"No." Tommy sighed. "But for a long time, anger was all Eric had ever known." He smiled. "Well, that was until Wes and you entered his life."

"Oh yeah. I'm a big impact on him." She started to laugh, but the laugh turned to sobs and the frustrations she had been pushing back and holding broke loose. "I couldn't even get him to go to his grave."

He wrapped his arm around her. "It's going to be okay, Hayley. Eric will pull through, he always does."

"I've missed having you around."

"Well, I'm available Mondays through Fridays any time after three."

She playfully punched him in the air. "We really need to find you a girl; your jokes are starting to get real bad."

"Oh, that wasn't funny? I'm hurt, Hayley, I really am."

* * *

"You can't keep pushing them like this. They're not ready," announced Kat as she marched into the Command Center where Cruger was standing at his post. For the past few weeks he had been working the A squad rangers hard, getting them prepared.

"I don't have time to wait around until they're ready. Gruumm and every other maniac like him is out there bent on destroying planets and taking over the universe. With the others dead I had no choice but to move them up." He sighed, he was frustrated and overwhelmed with everything that had happened over the past year, so many losses. "If I could have, I would have called up the rangers on Mirinoi, but they have been having attacks and are needed there. Andros and his team were KO-35 rangers, right now they are training cadets to one day become rangers."

And then she realized just how frustrated he really was. He didn't want to move them up so soon, anymore than she wanted to. But he was right; they needed to be prepared for anything. Sirius had been prepared for an attack and had failed; they couldn't let that happen to Earth or to any other planet. "I'm sorry. I won't question your decisions again."

He knew she meant well, at times he did seem to take things too far. "No. Sometimes this old dog needs someone to question him."

She smiled. "You're not that old."

"Old enough to be far too stubborn and hotheaded." He nodded his head. "I will try to be less hard on the rangers."

Kat smiled; perhaps it was true. You _can_ teach an old dog new tricks.


	30. New Beginings

He stared at his sword for a long moment. He hadn't touched it since that day, since everything had changed. The destruction of his planet, the death of everyone he held dear, Andros and the other rangers, his people, his friends, his wife Aisynia, all of them _gone_. Until then the sword had meant so much to him, it was an honor to have such a sword.

He had been given it at the SPD Academy on Sirius, back when he had been young, long before he moved up and became one of the Commanders for SPD, long before Earth had ever heard of Sirius or the SPD Academy. Several had been given the sword, even his old….

"Doggie."

"Hmm." He snapped out of his thoughts and turned around to see Kat facing him. "Is there something you need, Dr. Manx?"

"Yes. I just need your signature here, for today's reports." She handed him the clipboard. Cruger signed the sheets of paper and handed them right back to her. "Thank you."

He nodded his head and then turned back around, staring at the weapon that once meant so much to him.

"Do you ever miss it?" she asked.

But he never answered her back. He just turned around and walked right out of the Command Center, as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

It had been over a month now. Eric's attitude would change from happy to depressed to anger without any warning. No matter how hard Hayley and Tommy pushed, they couldn't break the wall Eric had built up around him. So Tommy thought of taking another approach: fighting fire with fire, he was going to get through to Eric no matter what it took.

The two were out back in an intense sparring workout; both were excellent fighters. They had trained for years, ever since they were little. One wasn't better than the other, they were equals, equally strengthened and knowledgeable of the martial arts.

"You're going to have to talk about what happened to someone, Eric. Keeping it all inside is making things worse."

"I'm fine! There's nothing to talk about." Eric threw a punch at Tommy's face, who easily blocked the move, grabbed a hold of Eric's arm and twisted it behind his back.

"No, you're not fine." _He's only fooling himself if he thinks he's fine_. "You haven't been fine. Not for a long time."

That did it. Filled with rage, Eric broke free and punched Tommy hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. Eric stood over him, breathing heavily.

Tommy looked up, feeling like he had the wind knocked out of him. "Feel better?" asked Tommy, as Eric helped him to his feet.

"Yeah."

It was a slow process, but Tommy was willing to do anything and everything to help get through to Eric. He owed it to Hayley. "Good."

* * *

"So how did your therapy session with Eric go today?" asked Hayley as she walked into the living room holding Megan in her arms, and around the couch over to where Tommy was lying with an icepack on his face.

"Good. I think we're making real progress." He sat up and moved the icepack off his face, to reveal a swollen eye.

Hayley just shook her head. It was beyond her why guys always seemed to think a good fight would make things better. "If you keep this up you're going to be needing to wear your reading glasses permanently."

He smiled. "Well, that's not so bad, besides most of my students say I look better in them. Makes me look smart."

Hayley laughed and put Megan into Tommy's arms. "Would that be all the female students?"

He laughed. "Well, they're probably just sucking up, hoping for an A."

"You always did have a way with the girls." Hayley smiled as Megan giggled in her Uncle Tommy's arms. It was nice seeing Megan having another Uncle role model in her life again; after Wes's death it was something she missed, but it hurt to think about it, because she knew Megan would never remember him.

"Yeah. Who knows," he lifted Megan in the air, "maybe I'll have this little princess in my class one day."

Hayley smiled at the thought. But they weren't planning on staying in Reefside forever. They would be going back to Silver Hills as soon as Eric was back on his feet. That's where their home, her job, their life was. They couldn't just stay here. Could they?

"I bet she'd like that."

* * *

Tommy was getting ready to head back home. He had stayed for dinner, and had already said his goodbyes to Hayley. And was looking for Eric; he finally found him on the back deck.

"Hey."

"Hey." Eric turned back around. "How's the eye?"

"Better."

"What are you going to tell the kids at school?"

Tommy laughed. "That I got my butt kicked."

That got a smile on Eric's face. And then the smile faded away. "You think I'm acting like him, don't you. I told him the same shit you told me, and I'm still screwed up," said Eric, remembering the times he had talked to Wes, when he had been going through tough times, and now he wasn't doing any better dealing with his problems than Wes had.

"We all deal with things differently, Eric. Sure, it's easy to say the right things, but until you're in that person's shoes you have no idea what they're going through."

"And I'm sure you think you know how I'm feeling," he answered flatly. "But you don't know a thing about me, you're not-"

"I know I'm not. And I'll never try to be, but I'd like for us to at least be friends." He knew what Eric and Wes had was special; it was like the relationship he had with Jason. And he knew if anything ever happened to Jason, he knew no one would be able to replace him. "What do you say?" Tommy reached out his hand; although they had known each other for a few years, they never really had been friends, not in a sense.

Eric knew Tommy would never mean what Wes had meant to him, no one ever would. Wes was one of a kind, the first person who had gone out of his way to be his friend. You can't replace someone like that, but you can allow others to fill the void that has been missing, it might not be the same, or even better, but it was a step in moving forward to letting go. "Just as long as I can still kick your ass." Eric reached for Tommy's hand.

"I was going easy on you then." Tommy grinned. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

"We'll just see about that." And for the first time in a long time, things actually felt like they were going to be okay. Eric knew he still had a long way until he was himself again, but for the moment he felt like his old self again.

* * *

"Eric?"

He heard her call his name, but he didn't answer. He just stood there in Wes's old room. It didn't seem so long ago that they were all here, staying in this cabin, while helping Tommy and the kids. Everything had been fine then, everyone was happy. Well….for the most part anyways, they did have a few problems.

"Oh, there you are." Hayley came in and wrapped her arms around Eric's neck. "What are you doing in here?"

Eric shifted a little until he had his arms wrapped around her. "It's just hard to believe they're both gone." He stared deeply into her eyes. "It… It wasn't so long ago that we were all here." He bowed his head down. "A lot can happen in three years."

"It sure can." She gently caressed his cheek. "Eric, we don't have to stay here, if it's too hard."

He smiled faintly. "It is hard, but I like being here, remembering the good times we all had here, even with all the problems along the way." He leaned closer. "After all, Wes and Jen were happy here together for a time, maybe we can be too." He kissed her gently on the lips.

"Are you saying you want to stay in Reefside?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

* * *

"Why don't you stay?" asked Tommy. After her talk with Eric about wanting to remain in Reefside and not to return to Silver Hills, she didn't know what to say to him or was even sure how she felt about it. They had friends back in Silver Hills; her job was there, Sky, Mr. Collins.

"Tommy, you-"

"Hails, did you ever think what Eric may really need is a change? He's been through a lot."

"He can't just not go back; Silver Hills is his home."

"His home is with you."

"I just don't know. I didn't plan on staying here for good. I thought once I got him back on his feet, we would go back and everything would be fine."

"It's not always that simple."

Hayley sighed and sank down on the couch. "My job is there. I can't just quit."

"So you get a new job, here." He sat down next to her.

"Tommy, it's just not that easy. I can't just-"

"Don't worry. I'll get you a job here, besides, I owe you one."

"Tommy, no, you have already helped me with getting my last job. I can't-"

"Hey, it's no problem. Really." He smiled. "Besides, you gave up a lot to help me."

"Tommy…" She didn't know what to say. Was it really that simple, could they just stay? Eric had been seeming to be doing a lot better, as of lately. Maybe Tommy was right, maybe it was time for a change. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say yes."

She smiled. "Are you sure it's not a problem?"

"It's no problem. You have to remember you're not the only one who's friends with a billionaire."

"Thanks." She hugged him. "You're a really good friend."

* * *

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

Alex, or Drake as he went by now, turned around and faced Jill. The woman he had saved just a month before, and somehow he had managed to stay at her place while working a few odd jobs here and there, saving up money.

"Sorry. I was never very good at goodbyes." He smiled and walked up to her and gave her an all too quick hug. This was hard for him. They had grown close over the short time they had spent together. Closer than he knew they should have been.

She smiled faintly and took his hand in hers. There was still so much she didn't know about him. He never talked about his past, where he came from, how he came to be coming to her rescue. He was a mystery to her, but that was one of the things she liked about him. "You sure you can't stay?" She leaned closer. "Not even for me?"

It wasn't that he didn't want to. It was because he couldn't. It was against everything he stood for, everything he had worked so hard for. But then again, wasn't bringing Sky here against everything he stood for? Or maybe it was the fear of finding happiness that was stopping him. Was it really fair that he should be living happily with Jill, while Sky was growing up without both of his parents at his side? While both Jen and Wes had died, without being at each other's side?

He sighed heavily, looking into her eyes. "If only I could." He smiled faintly and distantly. "But there are things about me that you will never be able to understand. Things…" He was cut off by her lips pressing against his. It felt so right, so good, as he was lost in the kiss, wrapping his arms around her tightly, but then he came to his senses and pulled back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He stepped back, holding her hand for as long as he could. "Forgive me." His eyes were sad and heartbroken as he turned around, unable to watch as her face was overcome with sadness.

He was only a few blocks down the street when a voice inside of him spoke. _Alex. I hope that some day you find happiness again._ That had been the last thing Wes had said to him. The two had a long history of disliking each other and maybe even resenting each other, but in the end they had come to understand each other. Wes had wanted him to be happy. Drake stopped dead in his tracks. "What am I doing? He wanted me to be happy." It was time to stop running from his past, and start trying to live again. He turned around quickly and headed straight back to home. _Home. _It felt so good to have that feeling of home. It was the greatest feeling in the world knowing he had a place to call home. And that it was with someone he cared very deeply for. "Jill!" He knocked hard on her front door. Not a moment later the door opened and there she was. "I'm sorry, I…" And before he could finish she pulled him back inside, back where he belonged with her.

He knew he might never be able to reveal all of his past to her, but as they sat down on the couch, arms wrapped around each other, sharing kisses, he began telling her his story. And he finally understood why Jen had fallen for Wes. For so long he had wondered how she could have fallen in love with someone from another time. The truth was, she couldn't quite help it, maybe no one can help who they fall in love with. Maybe there isn't a reason or a full answer. It just happens. And sometimes you do have to throw the book out the window and follow your heart.


	31. Returning to The Past

_2014_

Cruger walked through the park of Newtech City, wearing his long cloak, covering his face, not wanting to be noticed by anyone. Whether for privacy or the hidden fear that one of Gruumm's men could be out lurking around searching for him, he didn't know. A lot had happened in the past seven years. SPD had become one of the most promising military police task forces across the galaxy. They were overflowing with applications ranging from ages fifteen and up, all wanting to participate in the academy - from not just Earth, but all over the galaxy. Of course the minors would attend school base classes while attending the academy. And although they were not pushed, there were college programs, all paid for by SPD for college degrees.

The A squad ranger team, the team that both Commanders Collins and Myers had trained, had proven themselves time and time again to be extraordinary rangers. Although it was hard for them at first adjusting to everything, going into battles, assisting other planets which were at war, and all the hardships that came with being a ranger; they had come out on top. Cruger was proud of them and knew that Wes and Eric had both made a wise decision when selecting them. Although the A squad would never say anything, he knew that they missed the presence of their former commanders, and at times even he missed them too. ….Even Eric.

The A squad was already in the beginnings of training their replacements. They had served seven years and would have three more years left to be A squad rangers; after that they would have the option of retiring or remaining in SPD as top veteran officers. It almost seemed hard to believe that in the near future they would be selecting new A squad rangers, it seemed like just yesterday that it was the A squad rangers' first day at the academy.

"No, leave me alone. Don't touch me!"

Cruger moved quickly when he heard what sounded like a female child. And that's when he saw her; it was a girl who couldn't be any older than twelve, being tormented by an alien. He watched for a moment closely, eyeing the girl; something was different about her. He could tell, could almost smell it; she was no ordinary human. _It's her._

"Help, somebody help me!" she screamed.

Cruger went running, quicker than light. It was the first time in years since he had gone into any kind of combat that went beyond just training and drilling. He drew his blaster and shot the alien mugger down to the ground. "Little girl-" By the time he turned around she was gone. She must have taken off when she saw him coming to her rescue. He started to search for her, wanted to check, make sure she was okay, but he never found her. The only thing he found was a silver necklace lying on the ground, with the letter Z. "Z..." He held it in his hands, eyeing it closely. "Hmm, Elizabeth Delgado; it was her. One of the children."

It was one of the children Andros had told him about years ago. One of the children whose parents had fallen victim to an accident that happened at Bio-Lab in 2001. It would be a few more years until Z would join the academy, but even now he could feel just how powerful she truly was. With her at the academy, SPD would be unstoppable. He just hoped that the other children would be the same.

But it seemed odd that he had come to find her. She and her parents had been missing for years. Collins had lost track of the girl's parents. The last time anyone had heard from the Delgados was back when SPD was coming into place. Back when the families of the children were contacted asking for their cooperation in allowing their children to go to the academy, at age fifteen. Had the Delgados resurfaced or was something else going on?

His communicator began beeping. "This is Cruger, go ahead."

_"Doggie, you need to come back to the base. Something….something has happened and I think I should tell you in person."_

By the sound of her voice he knew it wasn't good, something bad had happened. "I'm on my way back now, Kat." Cruger looked at the necklace once more and then tucked it away in his cloak for safekeeping, knowing that one day he would be able to return it to its rightful owner.

* * *

"I got you, Uncle Tommy!" laughed seven year old Megan happily as she jumped off the couch and landed right on top of him. "Come on Erin, help me!"

Five year old Erin, Eric and Hayley's second child, joined with her sister in using their uncle as a jungle gym, giggling. This had become their favorite pastime whenever Tommy showed up; they insisted that he play jungle gym with them. And of course, having a soft spot for the little girls, he never objected.

"Hey Eric, a little help," laughed Tommy as he tried to get to his feet, but found himself being pushed back down.

"Oh no. You got yourself into this mess, you can get out. Besides, you're a _legend_, you should be able to handle two little girls." Eric grinned as he held his eight month old son in his lap, while watching his daughters and Tommy.

Tommy rolled over and quickly scooped both of the girls into his arms and stood. "Yes, but they're not just any little girls, they're _your_ little girls."

"Hey. No fair!" said Erin.

"Yeah, you cheated, Uncle Tommy."

Tommy laughed and gently put both girls back down on the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry." He took their hands and kissed them gently. "You forgive me?" He smiled that charming smile of his that they had come to love.

"We forgive you," said Megan as she and her sister both hugged Tommy.

"Tommy, you really need to find girls your own age. Whatever happened to Karen?"

"Karen? " He rolled his eyes. "Oh Karen, the blind date you and Hayley set up for me… she was a little too dramatic for me."

"Or she wasn't a certain pink ranger," smirked Eric.

"Very funny." Tommy walked over and sat down on the couch next to Eric, letting out a big yawn.

"Come on, Uncle Tommy, let's play some more." Erin tugged at her uncle's arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but Uncle Tommy is tired. You wore him out." He picked her up and set her in his lap. Not a moment later Megan joined them and went to sit next to her father and baby brother.

"Daddy, can I hold Wesley?" asked Megan.

"Sure, honey. Just remember to be very careful." Eric gently set his son into Megan's arms.

Tommy smiled and watched Eric. A lot had happened in the past seven years. He had watched as Eric's family grew from just one child to three now. Little Wesley had completed the Myers family children, several months ago. He was happy for Eric and Hayley; both of them were doing a lot better than when they first came back here. They both had great jobs; Eric worked as a security officer for the Reefside Police. It wasn't as exciting as his old job had been, but he had never heard Eric complain about it. As for Hayley, she reopened the Cyber Café, but would still do small programming jobs for places such as NASA, the FBI and the CIA.

At times he did envy what they had. They had been married a little over seven years, and had three beautiful children. Something he didn't have. He had been on dates, dated on and off for the last few years, but had never found someone who he felt he could spend the rest of his life with. And he wasn't getting any younger.

Even the kids were married or engaged. Kira and Trent had been married for over a year now. And they were both very successful; Kira had had a few albums released, and had been one of the top ten artists in the last five years. Trent had a franchise of comic books and had offers to make a movie of one of his series.

Conner's soccer program had been going great, and in a few years would be all over the country. That was how Conner meant Jena, a young single mother raising twin five year old boys, at first it just started out as Conner being someone to hang out with the boys, whose father had abandoned them, but then he began spending more time with their mother and before anyone knew it they had gotten engaged, and married a year later.

As for Ethan, he just recently asked Karen Brooks, a girl he went to high school with and had danced with at the prom, to marry him. They would be getting married sometime next fall, shortly after the release of his big computer security program which would be used by all military forces, one of them being SPD.

Everyone seemed to be creating a family. Something he hadn't done. Sure, he had Hayley, Eric and the kids. And he was grateful to be a part of their lives, but….he couldn't help but feel the want for something of his own. His brother had died years ago, and he still had his adoptive parents and loved them more than anything, but at times he felt something was missing.

The phone began ringing. "I'll get it," they heard Hayley call out to them. "Hello… What?... When… Yes of course, …I understand… Thank you for calling us, Philips."

"What did Philips want?" asked Eric as he gently took his son from his daughter's lap, watching as his wife walked into the living room to join them.

"Eric," she sighed heavily. "We need to go back to Silver Hills." She gulped, still not even able to believe it herself. "Alec had a massive heart attack last night… He died this morning."

The room fell silent. It was as if everything had frozen. Eric sighed heavily. "What..." He bowed his head down, not being able to believe it. "Sky?" He looked up at his wife.

"He's doing okay. But we need to get back there, as of now we're his guardians."

* * *

"I don't understand why you can't just be my guardian, Philips," remarked fourteen year old Sky as he pushed the punching bag hard with his fist. It had been two days now since his grandfather's passing, the funeral would be held in a few days. "Batman's butler became his guardian."

"Because it was your grandfather's wishes that your uncle be your guardian in case anything happened to him," answered Philips as he held the punching bag. "As for Batman, there was no one else to care for him."

"Yeah, whatever," he muttered under his breath. "And he's _not_ my uncle! We're not even related, and I haven't seen or heard from him in years." They had tried to keep in contact with each other, but the distance drew them apart and soon it was phone calls, and a few birthday and Christmas cards, and then it was as if they were total strangers.

Philips sighed, understanding the boy's frustration and anger. All his life had been about losses; first his mother, then his father, shortly afterwards his step-mother Lisa, who he heard from every now and then. The last they had heard from her, she had remarried and was pregnant. Then there was Eric and Hayley, and now his grandfather. "What would your father want?"

Sky stopped his routine and grabbed his towel and water bottle. "I'm going to go take Trip for a walk." He bent down and picked up Trip's leash. "Come on, Trip, let's get out of here."

"But Master Sky, Eric and Hayley will be here with their children," he called after him.

"Tell them I went out."

"He is more and more like his grandfather everyday," sighed Philips, watching him go, unable to know what to do or say. Sky was so different from how Wes had been after the death of his mother; it had been easy to talk to Wes, but Sky seemed to shut everyone out, as if his very genetic power shielded him from ever allowing anyone in.

* * *

"Eric," Hayley called, searching for her husband throughout the house. "Eric…" She found him sitting at the counter on a chair. "Oh, there you are. What are you doing? The kids are in the car, it's time to go."

"I… I just can't believe he's gone." Hayley sat down next to him and put her arm around him. "I didn't even talk to him, say goodbye," he said softly. "The last time I talked to him was when we told him you were pregnant again. He never knew who we named our son after…"

"Eric." She gently stroked his cheek. "Don't do this."

He stood up. "We should have never left. It's my fault. I should have been there."

Hayley stood up and wrapped her arms around him. "Eric, this isn't your fault. None of this is."

He pushed her away. "Yes it is. It was too hard for him to handle, his heart couldn't take it. It's my fault, just like it was with Wes." She started towards him again. After seven years of happiness it was all coming out again, the sorrow, the guilt, and the pain.

"Eric, this isn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done, for Alec or Wes."

He pushed away from her and snapped right into her face, "You weren't there, Hayley. You have no idea what went on that day!"

And that's when it all came out, full blast. All the frustration she had held in for years from that day. "Because you won't talk about it, not to our marriage councilor, not to Tommy…. not to _me_." Her eyes filled up with tears. "Eric, for the last seven years you've pretended like that day never happened, and you used our own children as a way of getting out of talking about it." She looked right at him. "And don't say you don't, because you know I'm right."

"You have no idea what-"

"Daddy, are we going to go now?" asked Megan, walking up to her father and tugging at his arm.

Eric sighed heavily and glanced slightly at Hayley before giving his daughter a faint smile. "Yeah, we're going to go." He picked her up and started towards the front door.

Hayley stood there for a moment, knowing this was only the beginning. After all, it had been years since they had last seen Sky. He would be older, and the small boy they had once known and loved might not be the same boy they would find now.


	32. You Can Never go Home

Thomas Wolfe once said 'You Can't Go Home Again.' Eric Myers was beginning to learn the truth of those five words. Silver Hills had been his home, but now things were different. Everything had changed, everything was different from what he remembered. He had hoped that he could just come back and everything would be just as it was when he left. That he and Sky could start from where they had left off, but he soon realized just a few minutes after his arrival, that wasn't going to happen.

Sky looked at him as if he resented him and wanted nothing to do with him. What had happened to the boy who used to worship the ground he walked on? Seven years is what had happened. Seven years of growing up. The boy he had known was now a teenager.

Hayley had just finished putting the kids down for bed. Sky hadn't left his room since he had finished with dinner. Eric had wanted to go up and talk with him, but both Hayley and Philips said that they should give Sky his space and let him come to them. Things hadn't gone well during dinner; Sky kept on insisting that they allow him to go to SPD a year early. And they had gotten into a fight over that, saying he was still too young.

Eric sighed when he picked up a picture from the bookshelf; it was of him, Wes and Sky. He felt Hayley wrap her arms around him. "I keep on thinking that this is all a dream. And he'll come running down the stairs, give me a high five or a hug, just like he used to."

"Kids grow up, Eric. Give Sky some time, things will be back to normal before we know it."

He put the picture back and smiled faintly as he turned to meet her face. "Right," he answered softly, not too sure whether his relationship with Sky would be as it was, so much time had passed.

* * *

The funeral had been long and draining on everyone. And the next day would be just the same, they would be meeting with the lawyer, setting out the assets and where Sky fit into the picture.

Sky stomped onto the steps of his grandfather's home, _his_ home, as Eric followed quickly behind him and Hayley straggled behind them with their three children.

"Schuyler Colin Tate, don't make another move," yelled Eric. The two had gotten into a fight in the car on the ride back home, arguing over Schuyler's future and what should happen over the next few days.

It had gotten so bad one night that Hayley had asked Philips to take the children out for a bit, so she and Eric could talk to Sky alone. But it didn't seem to do any good; Sky wouldn't hear any of it. He was very clear with both of them that he didn't want to remain here or go to Reefside. He wanted to be let into the Academy a year early.

"Eric, this isn't the time." Hayley had just about enough of the arguing, ever since she and Eric arrived in Silver Hills that's all he and Sky had been doing: fighting and bickering. "We just came back from a funeral, for crying out loud!"

He let out a hard sigh and bowed his head down, watching as Sky entered into the home, just briefly looking back at Eric with a hard and disappointing glare. He felt as Hayley gently squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, just having a bad day."

"You're not the only one." She smiled faintly. "This has been hard on all of us." She placed little Wes into his arms. "I'll take the girls and go make some sandwiches; why don't you go talk to him." She smiled. "The way you used to, before all this happened."

Eric nodded his head and watched as his wife and his seven and five year old daughters, Megan and Erin, walked into the mansion. He sighed heavily as he stared down at his young son's face, so unaware of what was happening and what had happened over the past seven years.

Seven years, that's how long it had been since he was last here. Eric looked around at the mansion, the surrounding flower garden and trees, the long curved driveway. Everything looked the way he remembered it, nothing had changed, except for the house being emptier. All the staff of the house had been let go, the only one who remained was Philips, who would remain until Sky's behavior toned down a bit. "Come on; let's go see if we can talk some sense into that cousin of yours."

* * *

Sky lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Trip lay on the floor next to his bed. On his nightstand was a picture of him and his father. He was just a boy then, but now he was no longer the same boy in that picture, life altering events had changed that boy. Next to the picture frame was his father's helmet; it showed the markings of a hard battle. A battle which… He heard a knock on his door.

"Can I come in?"

Sky sighed. He hated this, everyone hovering over him, always asking how he was doing. How sorry they were for what happened. And no one seemed to give a damn as to what he wanted. "Whatever," he answered.

The door slowly opened and Eric walked in with Wesley in his arms. He closed the door behind him and sat down on Sky's bed. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I know this is a hard time for you. Your grandfather was a good man. He loved you very much."

Sky didn't answer. He just stared at Eric, still angry and upset with him, but his tone seemed to change when he looked at his young somewhat of a cousin, Wesley. The boy who had been named after his father; in some ways Sky felt honored Eric and Hayley had named their firstborn son after his father, but that still didn't take away the years of hurt and abandonment he still felt. "Look, let's just cut to the chase." He looked Eric hard in the eyes. "We both know you're not too good when it comes to emotions and situations like this."

"We already talked about this, Sky, Hayley and I and the kid's will-"

"Fine. You can have the house, I don't want it or any of the assets." Sky became very serious. "I want to go to Newtech City and join the Academy."

"Sky, we've been over this, you're fourteen, you have another whole year until you can join the Academy. They're still going over the arrangements to allow those under fifteen to join."

"I can't wait that long."

"Sky."

"Look, I'm sure an exception can be made, after all, my grandfather was one of the main executors in starting SPD here, as was my father and _you_," he announced sharply. He took a deep breath to try and hide the pain and anger he felt, the frustration that had been growing for the past few days. "I haven't asked for anything from you in the last seven years, the least you can do is to do this for me."

Eric bowed his head down, sighing. Sky was right, he hadn't asked for anything from him in the last seven years, not a thing. In fact this was actually the first time in years that he had been in Sky's room or even had a conversation with him, after Wes had… Eric looked him in the eyes and responded softly. "I'll make some calls, see what I can do."

Sky nodded his head. "Thank you."

Eric just nodded his head and got up without saying another word. He had finally come to realize the full truth, what it meant that you can never go home again. Sky was no longer the sweet, loving, caring boy he remembered. Time had changed the boy, hardened him, it was as if Sky had used his own ability to put a shield around him to protect him for ever allowing anyone in.

Later that night, Hayley and Eric were cleaning up in the kitchen, while Sky sat in the living room keeping an eye on the kids. Hayley placed the dishes in the cabinet, while Eric cleaned the counter top.

"I'm going to Newtech City in the morning. I probably won't be back until later that night."

"What? Why? We're meeting with the lawyer tomorrow." Hayley turned around and the look she saw in Eric eyes told her just what he was planning. "Eric, we talked about this. He's too young."

"No, Hayley." Eric sighed. "As much as we'd like to believe that, he isn't. He's more grown up than we will ever know." And he was right, Sky was perhaps the most grown up fourteen year old boy on the planet. At age seven he had lost his father, and later grew out of touch with his stepmother. And now seven years later, Sky was faced with another loss, his grandfather.

"His grandfather just died!" She stopped once she realized she was raising her voice. She toned it down a bit. "The last thing he needs is to be going away. He needs to stay here with us." Hayley knew if they just let Sky go he would bottle up his feelings and never move on. "We're his family."

"You think I don't know that?" he snapped. "I'm going and that's final."

"Eric..."

"Hayley. You didn't see the look in his eyes." He still hated himself for what he had done, walking out on Sky and Mr. Collins, at a time when they needed him. "I walked out on him when he was seven years old." Eric struggled to keep his tears back. "Seven years old and I left him."

"Eric, honey." Hayley walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "You can't keep blaming yourself like this. That was a long time ago. After Wes… it hurt all of us. Sky and Alec both knew that was hard on you." She sighed heavily. "Besides you weren't the only one, I left too."

Eric looked her hard in the eyes. "No. We were married, had a baby girl and you followed me, sacrificing your job and reputation."

"Eric," Hayley started.

"It's what he wants, Hayley."

"But is it what he needs?"

"It may not be what he needs, but we both know it's going to happen. Ever since he was a little boy, we knew this would happen, that the day would come when he would go to the SPD Academy." Eric wrapped his arms around her. "He wants to be like his father, Hayley. Who am I to stop him?"

"All right." She gave in. "I don't like it, but I guess I understand."

* * *

That's all they ever seemed to do now, was argue. Argue about him. This was his fault. He was the one causing all the problems. The reasons why no one would ever talk to them, push them away, wouldn't allow them to help anymore. And they were broke now. No money was left, every penny had been spent. Spent to help protect him, because of what was wrong with him.

The thirteen year old boy sighed heavily in his room of their two bedroom apartment. The place was a mess. The paint on the walls was fading and there were bugs all over the place. The smell he had gotten used to; it took a few weeks but it no longer bothered him. He closed the door so he could block out the yelling voices of his parents.

When he was little, things used to be good for them. They didn't always have a lot, but they had enough to keep on living. His parents had at one time had devoted their lives to the mission, but things had changed as he had gotten older. When he was little they were able to hide his powers, but then he got older and he couldn't help but use his powers, a gift was what his mother used to tell him. But now it felt more like a burden. The people there had made it clear that they couldn't continue doing their work with him around.

He began to think, maybe things would be better for his parents if he just left. They wouldn't have to worry about him anymore and they could go back to working in the mission without having to worry about anyone finding out about him. And the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea.

He quickly gathered up the few clothes and whatever else he could and put it all in his book bag. Once he had everything ready he swung the bag over his back and started towards the wall, but stopped as if reconsidering. But then the arguing started once more, so he did what he thought he had to. He left, without another thought he went though his wall, leaving no trace of himself behind.

A half hour later, the bedroom door opened. "Jack?" His father Lance searched the room, but found it empty. His son was gone….

"Lance, what is it?" asked his wife, walking over to him. He didn't answer, just moved away so she could see for herself. All it took was one look for her to have her world come crashing down. "Jack. No!" she cried.


	33. Guilt of The Past

He was on his way to Newtech City, when he felt drawn to a place he had never been able to face.

"Hey. Sorry it took me so long to get here," he laughed, "but traffic was hell, what can I say."

Eric knelt down in front of the grave stone that read _Wesley Collins, March 7th 1978-_ _October 7th 2007_. It had taken him seven years, but he had finally made it. "Better late than never, right?" He laughed lightly, but found himself feeling guilty that it had taken him so long. "I'm sorry, Wes, for a lot of things." He bowed his head down and leaned his back against the stone. "I've been doing that a lot lately, but you probably knew that."

"God, it's finally happened. I turned into you." He laughed and half looked up to the sky. "I bet you think this is funny." He ran his hand over his face. "That kid of yours; man, he's tough. He kind of reminds me of Jen and your dad, although Hayley swears he's a lot like me." He bowed his head down. "I don't know, maybe she's right." And for the next few minutes Eric continued to talk to Wes, as if he were sitting right next to him, telling him things he wished he could have told him face to face.

And that's when it happened. When Eric finally let the guilt go that he had been carrying for the last seven years.

"_This isn't looking good, Eric. We should retreat and call for backup," announced Wes. Merlock had just been too powerful for them to handle on their own. Mike and the others had been right. Merlock had more power than they ever dreamed of._

"_If you think you can't handle it, then leave, but I'm going to finish this," stated Eric. He was going to keep on fighting until he had taken his last breath. "Now either move aside or help me."_

"_I'm not going anywhere without you, we're in this together. For better or for worse." Wes got into a fighting stance and whipped off the sweat that was dripping down his face._

"_Oh how cute, too bad your loyalty won't save you."_

"_Shut your mouth and fight!" yelled Eric._

_Merlock_ _laughed and smirked at the two. "Come and get me."_

_Wes turned to Eric. "Ready when you are, partner."_

"_You sure about this._ _Wes? You can go if you want, and I wouldn't think of you any different." _

_Wes gripped Eric's shoulder and smiled. "The only way I'm leaving is if we go together. So come on, lets show this freak what teamwork is all about."_

He had blamed himself, thinking that if he had gone along with what Wes first said that just maybe things would have worked out differently. He had even blamed himself for his friendship with Wes, that if they hadn't been as good friends, that maybe Wes wouldn't have felt the need to stick with him, but now he finally realized that he had done everything he could have done. It had never been his fault, or Wes's fault, or even Alex's. It had been Merlock; he was the one who was responsible for taking Wes away from them all. And as he let go of his guilt he felt a weight been lifted off of his shoulders.

* * *

The meeting with the lawyer had gone well, and it didn't surprise Hayley at all how Alec had set up the assist and how Sky fit into it all. Although Sky had made it clear he didn't want to run the company, but they didn't need to worry about that now. After all he was still just a kid, perhaps when he was older and wiser he would change his mind. Until then the company would be in good hands with the two men Alec had left in charge of it.

She looked out the window as she was doing the dishes, watching Sky with the girls, chasing around with them and Trip not too far behind. She wished that Sky would come back with them, the girls could use a big brother, but she also knew Sky had his heart set on other things, to follow in his father's footsteps.

"It's good to see Master Sky smile again," announced Philips as he joined Hayley in the kitchen.

"Yeah, it is." She turned and smiled. "I just can't believe that it's been so long."

"It's all right. The important thing is you're here now."

* * *

Eric walked into the SPD Academy. A lot had changed since he was last there. The building was bigger; there were cadets and scientists all over the place. It didn't even look like the place where he had once worked.

"Commander Myers?" asked a young man wearing a black and red uniform, with a morpher around his wrist, as he walked up to Eric.

Eric stared at the young man for a moment. "Dashel?" It was Dash, one of the cadets he had trained and chosen to be an A squad ranger.

"Yeah." Dash walked up to him and shook his former commander's hand. "Man, it's great to see you. It's been a long time."

"Yeah. It has been." He smiled faintly. After he had left the Academy he had lost contact with Dash and the others. But he had read up on them, learned about all the good they had done. "I've read about you and the others in the paper. You guys have done a lot of good."

"Yeah. We had good teachers." Dash smiled.

He smiled faintly, almost feeling guilty that he didn't deserve that comment. "So…How've you been? You must be about thirty-one now."

"I'm doing great. The team and I are in the process of training cadets, and eventually will select those who will take our places."

"Oh yeah. They any good?"

"Better than good. In fact, it looks like SPD will be getting their first female leader, of course it's not official yet, but it's looking likely. She's one of the best out of all the A squad cadets."

"That's great." Eric found himself looking back on days when he and Wes had been training the cadets; and now years later, the cadets he had trained were doing the same. "So, you married or anything?"

"Yeah, five years. How are you and your wife doing, and your daughter, she must be seven now."

"We're all doing fine. Thanks. But since then I've gotten two more rugrats: a girl and a boy."

"Good for you." Dash pulled out his wallet. "I got three too, but they came kind of as a package." He then showed Eric a picture of his triplet boys. "That's Dashel Jr., Darrin, and Dylan."

"Quite a handful."

"Yeah, they are, but they're pretty good kids." He put his wallet back in his pocket. "So, you here to see anyone?"

"I'm here to see Commander Cruger, I need to discuss something with him."

"Well, he's probably in the Command Center. If you don't mind, what do you need to discuss with him? Are you coming back to SPD?"

"No. It's more to do with asking him to allow early enrolment for Schuyler Tate."

"Schuyler, Commander Collins son?"

"Yeah, that'd be him."

"I heard about his grandfather's passing. I feel bad for the kid. He's had a hard life,"

"Yeah, he has," Eric sighed.

"Well, I should be going. I hope everything goes well with Commander Cruger."

"Thanks."

"Catch you later, Commander Myers."

"You don't have to call me that. I haven't been your Commander for a long time."

Dash smiled. "I know." He then started down the hall.

"Dash!" Eric called after him. "Commander Cruger made the right choice when he made you leader; it would have been my choice."

Dash didn't answer, just gave a wave and smile and went on his way.

* * *

"Commander Cruger, Mr. Myers is here to see you," announced the cadet.

"Send him in, cadet." The cadet nodded his head and a second later Eric entered into the Command Center. "Eric Myers, it's been a long time."

"Yes sir, it has. Almost seven years now." Eric shook the old dog's hand firmly.

"Yes, it has been that long, hasn't it. How's your family?"

"They're good, all healthy."

Cruger nodded his head. "Last I knew you had one child, a daughter, Megan. Do you have any more?"

"Yes, I have another daughter, Erin, she's five. And my son, Wesley, he's eight months."

"I see. And your wife?"

"She's good."

"Good." More awkward silence. The last time they had talked had ended on bad terms, which had eventually resulted in Eric leaving SPD and Silver Hills altogether. "I heard about Alec Collins' passing. I'm sorry; I know he was like a father to you. He will be missed."

"Yeah. He was a good guy, one of the best."

Cruger knew that Eric hadn't come to catch up on old times. There had to be a reason and he had some idea as to what it was. He was almost suspecting it. "I take it this isn't a social visit, by your manner you seem to have something on your mind."

"Yes. I did come here for a reason."

"Go on."

"I'm here on behalf of Schuyler Tate, Alec Collins' grandson and Wesley Collins' son. He's asking to be permitted to enter the academy early."

"You know regulations state that you must be fifteen or older to be permitted into the academy," he answered firmly.

"Yes, I realize that-"

"But in Mr. Tate's case, perhaps an exception can be made. Have him here Monday at 0500 hours. We'll have a room ready for him."

"Thank you, sir." Eric shook his hand once more before heading towards the exit.

"Eric." Eric stopped but didn't turn around. "It was good to see you again; give my regards to your wife."

"I'll do that." Maybe he had been wrong about Cruger. In some ways they were alike; both had run away from their pasts and both were dealing with it in their own way. But he had faced his past - how long before Cruger would face his own? Would the powerful warrior that had once been in Cruger live again?

* * *

It was late when he arrived back at the Collins mansion. Everyone was asleep in bed, except for Hayley who was lying in the guest room waiting for Eric to return back from his trip to Newtech City.

"How'd it go?" she asked when he walked into the room.

"It went. We'll be dropping him off on Monday," he said as he changed out of his clothes and lay down on the bed with her.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Eric?" she asked as she gently took his hand.

"He'll be fine. After all, the military did me some good."

"Yeah, but you were a little older than Sky is." She leaned closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah," he answered softly. "How'd things go today with the lawyer?"

"Good. Alec left most everything from the house to the company to Sky to do with as he pleases when he gets older."

"Who's in charge of the company until then?"

"A couple of people, Dr. Zaskin, and you."

"_Me_?" He looked right into her eyes. That couldn't be right. Why would have Alec left the company in his charge? It didn't make any sense to him, not after everything that had happened. "You're serious."

"You sound surprised."

"I guess…I just never thought he'd leave part of the company to me."

Hayley smiled and kissed him gently on the cheek. "You were like a son to him; he wanted someone he could trust. And you and Michael fit that profile." She leaned over and turned off the lamp. "It's really a shame that Sky wont be staying with us. The girls seem quite taken with him."

"The girls are quite taken with any guy," laughed Eric.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"What? I'll be driving a few days out of the week to check up on the company," yawned Eric.

"Well, that… but we will be taking someone back with us to Reefside."

"Who?" And just as he said that, Trip jumped on top of the bed, taking up whatever room was left. "Aw, shit. We lose one stubborn arrogant boy, and get a dog that's as big as a horse."


	34. A Time of New Beginings

It hadn't always been like this. There was a time he could have gone to him with anything. Asked him anything he wanted. Back then it had been so easy, all he had to do was….

_Young Sky was on Eric's back while Eric was doing pushups. "Uncle Eric, do you think one day I'll be big and strong just like you and Dad?"_

"_You bet." Eric turned quickly and caught Sky before he could fall, but he needn't have worried, because this little one wasn't afraid of anything. Sky laughed as he safely landed in his uncle's arms. "In fact, maybe you'll be stronger than both of us."_

"_Ah uh, no one's stronger then you and Dad. No one can beat you guys. You guys are the best there ever was!"_

_Eric grinned, but hiding the fact that there were those in the world and even farther away who were more powerful than him and Wes combined. He had even come face to face with a few, but had always landed on top. "You really think so?"_

"_Yeah. Everyone's afraid of you guys. No one would dare mess with you." Sky's eyes just glowed talking about it. He truly believed that both his father and uncle were unbeatable. "And that's why my name's different than Dad's, right, for my protection?"_

_Eric had wondered how long before it would be when Sky came to realize he and his father had different last names. "Something like that," he answered. It wasn't really a lie. It was for his protection, but from someone who wasn't considered an enemy._

But things were different now. He had changed so much. He had grown up more than anyone could have wanted in the last seven years, Sky thought as he packed his bags full of all his clothes and other sorts of belongings, a few books, and his Ipod. He wanted to make sure he had everything he needed. He wasn't planning on coming back, at least not anytime in the near future.

He reached onto his nightstand, grabbing his father's helmet. He stared at it for a long moment and envisioned his father still wearing it as he went into battle, before placing into his bag. The last piece of his belongings that went into his bag was the picture taken of him and his father all those years ago. He stared at the picture, trying to remember the sound of his father's voice, but so much time had gone by that he had long forgotten, just as he had forgotten his mother's voice.

He barely remembered her. His grandfather had done his best in providing whatever information he could about his mother, but all he could really offer was the engagement ring that his father had given her and then a few old photos. He could ask Eric, but things were different now. He had forgotten how to talk to the one person who used to mean so much to him.

"Here, you should wrap it up in this so that it doesn't get damaged." Unbeknownst to Sky, Eric had sneaked in to check up on him.

"Thanks," answered Sky. He took the cloth and wrapped it around the picture frame and placed it in his bag.

"No problem." Eric sighed and sat down on the bed next to Sky. "Look, I know for the last seven years I haven't been the greatest uncle, and that a few birthday and Christmas cards doesn't quite cut it. I just want you to know that-"

"It's okay." Sky turned to face Eric. "I did just fine." Sky got up, picked up his bags and headed out of his bedroom, leaving Eric behind.

"Yeah." Eric sighed and looked to the wall where another picture hung. It was of him, Wes and Sky, taken shortly after Wes and Lisa had been married. In the picture Eric could see how much Sky had looked up to both him and Wes, idolizing them, wanting to be just like them.

"Hey," Hayley walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around him. "Everyone's waiting in the car for you,"

"Sorry, was just doing some thinking."

Hayley stared at the picture, she knew that his and Sky's relationship wasn't what it used to be; it was like they were strangers now and she knew that it was hurting both of them. "Someday he'll get over it."

"Yeah," Eric sighed and smiled faintly. "Sure he will."

Sky put his bags in the back of the truck and then heard his dog Trip whining. He sighed heavily as he walked up to his dog. The _one thing_ he couldn't take with him. He wasn't sure what he would have done without Trip by his side for the last seven years. Trip had helped him through a lot. He had been his best friend; they had done everything together.

"Sorry boy, you can't come with me this time, but they're going to take care of you now. You'll like it out at the cabin, lots of room to run and you'll have a place to swim in," he rubbed Trip's head. "Goodbye, boy." Sky sighed heavily and then walked up to Philips, who would soon be leaving the Collins mansion, probably for the last time.

"Take care of yourself, Philips."

"You too, my boy." Philips smiled and hugged Sky gently, patting him on the back. "Make your father proud."

"I will," Sky started backing away towards the truck. "Goodbye."

Philips sighed. "Goodbye." In a way, Sky was like family to him. The whole Collins family had felt like family. He had been with them so long and now he was saying goodbye to the last member of the Collins family, maybe for the last time. It was a bittersweet ending, but now it was time for him to move on to elsewhere. He waved goodbye to them, as the truck drove down the driveway.

* * *

Dash and his teammates were in the training room watching as the A squad candidates went over drills; only fifteen had made it through to get into the ranger program, and already five were showing promise. One of those five was Charlie, the one who Dash believed would make an excellent leader. The five had trained together for the last few years, and had worked themselves up from the ranks, further than most of the older cadets. The group of five consisted of four humans and one alien ranging from 16-19.

And every one of his teammates had agreed that those five would be perfect: all but Culby, the green ranger and youngest of them all. He would repeatedly tell them it all seemed too easy and that it just didn't feel right. Something was wrong here, how could five cadets who have never met before work so well as a team? It was possible, he thought, but it had taken years of training before he and his teammates worked as a team.

But he could never come up with a good enough reason as to why they shouldn't be chosen. He had to admit they were good, even better than good and they would be the best choice, given their teamwork and fighting ability, but was that a good enough reason to choose them as taking their place?

"All right cadets, hit the showers and meet in room bay five for briefing," ordered Dash.

"Yes sir!" yelled all the cadets.

Culby eyed the five as they passed by them, starting with Charlie, the young woman who seemed to have become the leader of the pack. All their eyes were stern and hard as if nothing could break the seriousness on their faces.

"Don't tell me you intimated by a bunch of teenagers, Culb," asked Tanner, leaning over to Culby's ears.

"Just those five," he whispered back.

Once the fifteen cadets had entered into the appropriate locker rooms, the rangers were left alone in the training room.

"So they're hard-core," Tanner put an arm around Culby as they walked over to join their teammates. "Besides, I don't recall you have any problems with Commander Myers."

"That's because I didn't get a death chill every time Commander Myers walked past me."

"Oh, not again," sighed Heather. It seemed to be the never ending thing with Culby.

"Ease up, Culby," Dash lightly punched Culby in the shoulder. "Nothing's for sure yet, and we wont choose our replacements until we're all in agreement, not as long as I'm still in charge. So you've got nothing to worry about." Dash eyed his teammates. "Right guys?"

They all smiled and nodded their heads in agreement. "See bud, nothing to worry about," said Tanner. Over the last few years he and the others had come to think of Culby as their little brother.

"Right," smiled Culby. He knew the others respected him as a fighter and a ranger, but sometimes he got the feeling that they always thought of him as the baby and never took anything too seriously from him. He hoped he was wrong and that he was just seeing things that weren't really there.

* * *

Eric parked the truck in front of the entrance of the SPD Academy. This was it. He wasn't sure how long it would be until he would see Sky the next time. He hoped that he would come home during his breaks, but even then Eric wasn't sure if Sky would come. They all got out of the truck and Sky grabbed his bags.

"Want us to come in with you?" asked Hayley, as the six of them stood outside of the academy. "Help you settle in?"

"No. I think I got it from here. But thanks, though," Sky faced her giving her a brief smile.

"Take care of yourself, Sky. And if you ever need anything, we're just a phone call away." Hayley leaned in and gave him a light hug, knowing that if she held on any tighter she might never be able to let go.

"Thanks, Hayley." He hugged her briefly. He then knelt down to say goodbye to Megan and Erin. "You two promise to be good to your mom, don't give her too much trouble."

"We promise," answered Megan softly.

"I'll miss you," said Erin, leaning forward and hugging him tightly around the neck. Megan soon joined in with her little sister. The two had grown very attached to him in the last few days.

Slowly he put his arms around them. "I'll miss you too." And he really would; ever since he was little he had wanted a little brother or sister, but there were some things money just couldn't buy. The last couple of days he had spent with them, he would treasure.

"Come on girls, Sky has to get going," Hayley gently took her daughters by the hands and got them into the car, leaving Eric who was holding Wesley to say goodbye.

"Well I guess this is it," Eric faced the young teen.

"Guess so," Sky bit his lip. He knew Eric was really trying to make things work out between them. "Thanks for getting me in early."

"It was the least I could do." Eric gently patted Sky on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself."

"I will." Sky sighed and backed away. "Goodbye Eric, see yah around."

"Yeah. See yah." Eric watched as Sky started towards the building, and not a second later saw him turn around, just staring blankly, as he had all those years ago, at a time when he needed him, but didn't know how to say it. And a second later the look was gone and Sky entered into the building, to begin his next journey of becoming just like his father, one of the best. …Perhaps there was hope for them after all; maybe in the future what they once had, they would have again. "He's all yours, Wes," he whispered softly.

* * *

Sky met up with Commander Cruger in the briefing room. He had already received his uniforms and schedules for classes and training.

"Welcome to the SPD Academy, Cadet Tate. I am Commander Cruger."

Sky shook his hand. "Thank you, sir. I promise you, it wasn't a mistake letting me in early."

"I'm sure it wasn't." Cruger was amazed just how much Sky looked like his father, for a moment he felt as if it was Wes standing next to him. He had a feeling that Sky would one day do great things. "How about I show you to your room and your roommate can show you around tomorrow after your classes?"

"Thank you, sir." Cruger then led Sky down a long hall where all the younger cadets' quarters were. He came to a stop at one of the rooms and knocked. A moment later, Dru Harrington, a young fifteen year old boy, opened the door.

"Commander Cruger, how can I help you?"

"Cadet Harrington, I like you to meet your new roommate, Schuyler Tate, he's new here." Cruger looked him right in the eyes. "I hope you make him feel at home."

"Of course, sir."

"Good." He glanced at both of them. "I'll see tomorrow, bright and early for training," He patted Sky on the shoulder. "Cadet Tate."

"Sir." Sky watched sa Cruger walked down the hall.

"Schuyler, right?"

"Sky." he put out his hand and shook Dru's hand.

"I'm Dru. Come on, in. It's not very homey, but you get used to it."

"It's fine." Sky set his bag on his bed and started to unpack his belonging and put his clothes and uniforms away in the dresser.

"So, where you from?" Dru sat back down on his bed and started to reach for a book.

"Silver Hills."

"So you're from here then, Earth I mean?"

"Yeah." Sky turned around and set his picture of himself and his father on the nightstand. "Aren't you, you're human, right?"

"Yes, I'm human." There was something in his eyes, but Sky couldn't quite place it and then it was gone. "But I'm from the planet Tangar."

"Tangar, never heard of it."

"It's nothing really, just a small little planet."

Sky nodded his head and took the last piece of his belongings out of his bag: his father's helmet.

"Wow! Where'd you get that? That's a ranger helmet, right?"

"Yeah. It was my father's." Sky placed the helmet under his bed and then lay down, hoping to bury away his hurtful past.

Dru then noticed the picture on the nightstand. "Your dad was the one of the first SPD rangers?"

"That was a long time ago." Sky sighed heavily. "He's not a ranger anymore."

Dru stared at the picture and then came to realize that in the picture Sky was a small boy, probably meaning that his father was no longer around. "I'm sorry-" he started.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago," he answered all too quickly.

* * *

"_So how'd it go?"_

"Okay. It started out bad, but everything worked out in the end." In the background Hayley could hear Trip barking and playing with the girls.

"_Is that a dog? I thought Eric hated dogs."_

"Yeah. Trip, Sky's dog, our dog now."

"_Bet the girls just love that."_

"Oh, don't worry, they'll always have energy for their favorite uncle," she laughed.

"_Lucky me. How's Eric?"_

"Better. It's just going to take time is all, but I think the worst of it is over." She peered into the living room, watching Eric play with his daughters and the new member of their family, in a way she never thought he would. For the first time, Eric actually looked happy and no longer carried the baggage of his past. "He told me he went to see Wes's grave."

"_That's good. He needed closure."_

"Now he just has to figure out how to work things out with Sky."

"_That will all come in good time, Hayley. When they're both ready, it'll happen."_

"Thanks." She smiled. "I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you've done for us over the years. You're a really good friend, Tommy."

"_I'm always here for you, Hail's."_

"I know. Well, it's getting late. I should start getting the kids ready for bed."

"_Right. Give the girls my love."_

"I'll be sure to do that. Goodnight, Tommy."

"_Goodnight, Hayley."_


	35. Dark Secrets

He was sixteen years old and had been at the Academy for nearly two years now. He and his roommate Dru had become quick friends, almost inseparable. The two were rarely seen apart. In a way they were almost like brothers; Dru had filled a void Sky thought he would never fill. He could talk to him about anything, but neither seemed to talk about their families, Dru never said much about his family and the last time Sky said anything about his family was when he first arrived here.

During those two years, Dru had become one of the top cadets in target practice, being able to take out all the targets with one shot. Sky had yet to accomplish that skill, but Dru had been teaching him, so perhaps one day he would be able to do it. Most days Dru and he spent at the academy going to their classes and training, and everyone once in a while getting in trouble for goofing off and staying up way past curfew. Those had been the best days of Sky's life, and he hoped that he and Dru would always be the best of friends.

He still kept in contact with Eric. He would say he was just calling to check on how Trip, his dog, had been doing, but the truth was he did miss them and was slightly homesick. He found it strange to be homesick for a place he never even been to. But he would never admit it to Eric and Eric would never ask. Perhaps one day one of them would say it.

Sky was lying on his bed looking at his father's picture for the thousandth time. Everyday he felt it was one day closer until he would become a ranger. He had already moved up to C squad. He had shown the determination and dedication that got him moved up in rank along with Dru.

Sky had wanted to join the ranger program when he first arrived but wasn't allowed to, due to his age, and the ranger program would be finished sometime next year when the new rangers would be chosen.

There were also rumors going around that Dr. Manx was working on a second set of morphers that would be used for the B squad, but nothing official had been posted. "Just give me time, Dad, and some day I promise I'll make you proud."

The dorm door opened and Dru walked in. "Come on, Tate, get off your ass and play some lightball with me."

"All right." Sky got up and put his picture on the nightstand. "But I'm going to win." He grinned.

"We'll just see about that, rookie." Dru had taken Sky under his wing ever since he had arrived at the academy, showed him the ropes, and even learned a few new tricks. "Loser gets clean up duty."

"You're on."

* * *

"Have you been able to get a hold of them?" asked Cruger. He was going over this year's new enrollments and one of their primary enrollments was missing. Correction, _had _been missing.

"No, it seems the Landers have disappeared off the face of the earth. I couldn't even find a place of last known address. For all we know they could be dead." She sighed.

Cruger sighed. This wasn't good. It had been years since they had heard from the Landers. They didn't even hear from them when Jack, their son, had gone missing. They had learned about his disappearance on the news. "And still no trace of the boy, Jack."

Kat shook her head. "No. No one has seen or heard from Jack ever since he ran away from home. My guess he's on the streets, somewhere. But he could be anywhere now; it's been two years." He could be dead. Anything could have happened to him while he was alone on the streets. It seemed unlikely that a thirteen year old boy could have survived this long all on his own. But then again, Jack was not just any ordinary boy; he was special just like the rest of the children.

Cruger let out a light breath. He was counting on Jack being here this year, getting him and Sky paired up and beginning the special training that had been set up years ago. It would be at least another year until the others would arrive. And until then Sky would be paired up with Dru, and Cruger was beginning to feel that might have been a mistake. Although Sky had made it to C squad, he knew that Sky could have gotten to B squad easily. He felt that Dru was a big impact on that, that in a way he maybe holding Sky back.

"I'm sorry, sir." Kat knew how important this was to Cruger. He had promised both Alec Collins and Andros that he would see this through, and now it seemed the plan could be falling apart. All she could hope was that the others would arrive on schedule.

"It's not your fault." He got up and started to make his way out of the command base.

Kat was going to go after him, but stopped herself, knowing that he needed some time alone to think. A few moments passed and a loud explosion rang through the air. RIC came dashing into the command base. "Boom!" Kat groaned, as she quickly made her way to the lab. She found Boom in the lab, that looked at if a tornado had run right through it, taking out everything in sight. A tornado called Boom, anyway. It had only been about a year since Boom had been appointed as her lab assistant after he had failed out of the Academy's basic training for cadets, after only a few days. He was getting ready to pack his things and head on home, when Cruger had suggested that he work in the science program and from there she had somehow gotten stuck with him.

"Sorry Kat, guess there's still a few more bugs to work out."

Although she tried she could never be mad at Boom, he just had that puppy dog innocent look on his face. He was trying and he did show some promise, his only problem was that he tended to be accident prone. "It's all right, just clean the mess up."

He nodded his head and smiled briefly. "Yes, Ma'am."

RIC returned back into the lab. "Make sure he does a good job, RIC." RIC barked and stood watch over Boom as he cleaned up the mess. Kat made her way out of the lab hoping that when she returned it would be spotless.

* * *

Dash and the other rangers were in the briefing room. In the next few months they would be choosing those who would take their places within the next year. At times it did feel sad that the days were drawing near when their time as rangers would be up, but in truth they were all actually relieved, especially Dash.

With his step down as a ranger, that would mean he would have more time to spend with his family, his boys were four years old and would be starting school within the next couple of years. He wanted to spend as much time with them as he could.

"So we are all in agreement, Charlie and her teammates would make the best choice?" asked Dash.

"Yes, they're all on top and have passed every course with flying colors," stated Heather, knowing that their great teamwork and quick thinking would make them all excellent rangers.

"I have to agree. They're the best cadets I've seen in all my years here." Gina looked at each one of her teammates. "They could even be better than us."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far…" laughed Tanner, gripping her shoulder. "But yes, I agree they should take our place."

"Okay." Dash nodded his head and his eyes fell onto Culby. "Culby?"

He hated being put on the spot. "Okay, I'll admit it. Charlie, and her team are good, they passed more of the courses than Luke's team did, but…"

"But…" Tanner flung his arms in the air. It was fine at first, but two years of this was starting to get on his nerves. "Culby, what do you have against them?"

"I don't have anything against them! I…I just don't know if I trust them."

"So you think we should choose Luke and his team?" asked Dash.

"I didn't say that."

The girls were starting to get frustrated just as much as Tanner was. "Culby!" yelled Heather.

"And I thought my husband was bad," announced Gina.

"Culby." Tanner got right into his face. "Choose, Luke or Charlie."

"I..I…" he put his head down. "I don't know."

Tanner looked like he was about to blow until Dash pulled him away. "All right, I think that's enough for tonight. We'll discuss this later."

"Great," groaned Tanner as he stormed out of the room. "More of my time to be wasted."

"Hey, wait up, Tanner," yelled Heather, running after him. When she caught up with him she wrapped her arm around him and gently kissed him on the cheek as they headed down the hall.

Culby sighed and turned to Gina who was getting up; she smiled at him faintly. "Gina, not you too."

"Sorry, Culb. I just don't see anything wrong with them." Without another word Gina made her way out of the room towards home.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Dash gripped Culby's shoulder. "It happens to the best of us."

"So you agree with me?"

Dash smiled faintly. "I'll take it into consideration." He saw Culby's face fall. "Look, if you can come up with a good enough reason as to why Charlie and her team shouldn't be chosen, then we'll go with Luke's." He gripped Culby. "Okay?"

It was better than nothing. "Okay."

"Good. Well, I should be heading home, make sure my little terrors didn't destroy the house. Say hi to Rose and Junior for me."

"I'll do that."

"See yah tomorrow, partner."

Dash was about to head out the door when he heard Culby call his name. "Dash?"

"Yeah?" He looked over his shoulder.

"Thanks for listening to me."

Dash smiled. "Hey, that's what good friends are for. And don't forget what I said, as long as I'm in charge, I'll make sure the right team is chosen."

* * *

The lights were out in Dru and Sky's dorm room and the room was in complete silence. Dru's eyes slowly opened; he turned over in his bed and looked over to where Sky was fast asleep in his bed. He watched him for a few moments, checking, making sure he was in fact asleep.

Silently Dru pulled his covers off of him and got out of bed, not making a single sound, as if he had done this a hundred times before. He headed towards the door, but before he stepped out he eyed Sky once more, before leaving the dorm.

He had become a natural at this, sneaking off in the middle of the night. Dodging security guards and surveillance cameras. Dru made his way as quickly as he possibly could, to the lower level of the academy. Once he reached his destination, he leaned up against the wall and pulled out a small radio. He opened it and started up the communication link.

"_It's about time. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever call."_

"Sorry, but I had to wait until my roommate was asleep."

"_Yes, I suppose you had to. Do you have it, then?"_

"Yes, of course, I wouldn't let you down, Broodwing." Dru pulled out a small chip from his pocket and put it in the radio computer, and the information was transmitted over to Broodwing. "And my payment?"

"_You'll get it in due time, boy." _

"We had a deal. You said once I transmitted the data from SPD Security over to you I'd get my money."

"_And you will. Patience, you'll get your reward."_

"I'd better." Dru ended the transmission and started to make his way back to the dorm.

He silently made his way back to his bed, pulling the covers over his body. He looked over at Sky, who was just the same as he had left him. He turned over on his side and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

**Some months later…**

It was late when Dash had made it down to the parking garage to head on home to his family for the night. The lights started flickering on and off, as if they were getting ready to burn out. Some had burnt out already, making the whole garage darker than normal. "Great. Maintenance is late as usual with fixing the lights." He unlocked his car and was about to get into it when he started to hear voices, and they sounded rather familiar to him.

By the manner of the sound of the voices, he decided he should check it out. He slowly started to ease his ways towards them.

Dru was talking to a young woman hidden in the dark shadows along with four others. "I assure you, no one suspects, least of all Cruger. I'm at the top of the class. He has no reason to suspect me of anything."

"Don't be so cocky, Harrington, we could easily rip you apart limb by limb."

Dru snickered. "Go ahead and try, you'll be expelled out of the academy and then what would that do to Gruumm and Broodwing's wonderful plans?" He crossed his arms against his chest. "Who would be in trouble then? Remember I'm just paid for being the messenger."

One of the shadows started to step forward, growling. "Easy, Tusk, we wouldn't want to risk tampering with our master's plan." She eyed him coldly. "Even to a puny puke like him."

Hidden behind one of the walls, Dash had been listening to the whole conversation, but was able to see very little. Most of the lights in this area had been burnt out or were faded. "Tusk?... It can't be." He felt his heart racing as he continued to listen, and hoped that this all was just a dream.

Dru smiled an evil grin, as he watched Tusk step back. "Good little alien Tusk."

"I'll tear him apart!" growled Tusk, pounding his hands together.

"Not now, Tusk! That's an order!" she barked into her counterpart's face. "What about your little friend, your roommate Sky Tate, does he know of your _true_ intentions?"

"He's not a part of this."

"Perhaps he should be. He's on the wrong team."

Dru laughed. "Forget it. Tate's dad was a ranger. He won't turn, he's too loyal."

"What a shame, we'll just have to take him out to the trash with the rest of SPD."

Dru got right up to her face. "Let me make this clear, Tate is _mine_."

"Very well."

Dru looked at his watch. "Got to run, don't want to miss bed check."

"We'll be in touch."

"I'm sure we will." Dru then walked past the wall that Dash had been hiding behind, not even knowing he had been there the whole time.

"Let's go," she said.

"Hold it right there." Dash came out with his blaster pointed right at the five figures hiding in the dark shadows. "Culby was right about you guys. You're all under arrest, for conspiracy to take down SPD."

"Lieutenant Jackson, it's such a shame you had to find out this way. Now we're going to have to kill you."

"Not on my watch." He raised his radio towards his mouth. "Rangers, the…" BANG. Fear struck over his face. As the radio dropped to the ground, blood trickled down from his chest. He tried to say something but no words came out. He didn't even know he had fallen to the ground. He had felt nothing, only the coldness and the darkness caving in and then nothing.

"Get rid of this." She handed the gun to Tusk, who smashed it into small grains.

"What about the surveillance camera?" Cliff asked.

"Yes. They could discover our secret; Gruumm wouldn't be pleased," announced Kim.

"Yes. My sister is right." Kane looked down at the dead body lying before them. "You shouldn't have killed him."

"I had no choice. He could have ruined everything." She looked at the twins hard in the eyes. "Besides, we're too far in the shadows for them to see anything. Let's go!" she ordered. The five then backed away further into the shadows, leaving their former Lieutenant lying dead in a pool of blood.

"_Dash, did you contact us, this is Tanner, come in... Dash are you there, pick up?"_


	36. Cruger's Decisions part 1

It was a sad day at the SPD academy. Dashel Jackson the 3rd, aka the red ranger, had been murdered. Killed in cold blood. It wasn't fair. This couldn't be happening. How could this have happened? He was so close to retiring from the ranger squad and he had been murdered. How could someone have killed Dash? He was so young, so much to look forward to. Who was going to take care of his young widow, now? Who was going to be there for those three beautiful boys? They weren't even in school yet, four years old and already they had learned first hand just how cruel life can be.

Maybe if he had gotten there sooner, then maybe this wouldn't be happening. His leader, his teammate, his friend would still be here. Tanner, like his teammates, felt like he was living the past over again. It was Wes's death all over again. Like Dash, Wes had died young, recently married, had a seven year old son, and so much to look forward to. But life isn't always fair, even to the good ones. He had heard a saying once: only the good die young.

Tanner, along with his teammates, Commander Cruger and Dr. Manx, had watched the security video several times, but had been unable to make much sense of anything. The picture was dark and shadowy; you could barely make out if anyone was there.

Cruger sighed and stopped the video. "That's enough for today." He turned to the rangers. "I want you four to take the rest of the week off, get some rest. We'll get to the bottom of this."

The rangers didn't answer, just smiled faintly and turned and headed out of the command base, nearly running right into Dru, as if they intended to, like they blamed him or felt that somehow he was responsible. The only reason they found out that it had been Dru in the video, moments before Dash ever entered the scene, was because someone had reported seeing him come from the garage elevator, heading towards the dorms way after curfew.

Dru thought of fighting back at their hard stares, but decided not to. He was already in enough hot water as it was. And he had a pretty good idea who had gotten him in trouble. He walked up to Cruger promptly. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes. I wanted you to tell me again. What you were doing out of your dorm after curfew?"

Dru looked at him honestly. "I told you, sir. I was meeting a girl."

"Yes, a girl." Cruger eyed him closely, as if trying to see right through him. "And who is this girl?"

Dru smiled and laughed lightly. "I'd really rather not say. I don't want to get her in any trouble."

"Why?" Cruger asked sharply. "Because she _killed_ Lieutenant Jackson?"

"No! No. No sir, nothing like that." Dru knew he had to come up with something quick. And cleverness happened to be one of his strong points. He had been able to fool everyone for years. This should be a piece of cake, at least that's what he hoped for. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"Enlighten me."

"She's older, sir." He shrugged his shoulders. "We sort of had this thing."

"Thing?" he roared. "As in a relationship?"

"Yes sir."

"You know this is against code, you're still a minor. I should have you both expelled from the academy!"

"Yes. And that's why I met with her to end it."

"I see." He looked Dru right in the eyes. "And then you both went your separate ways?"

"Yes sir." Dru nodded his head. "That's correct."

"And you saw nothing out of the ordinary?" he questioned.

Dru shook his head. "No, everything seemed fine." Dru waited for a moment, looking Cruger right in the eyes, trying to tell whether he bought his story or not. And then continued on, knowing if he didn't say something they wouldn't leave him alone. "Sir, I didn't want to say this before…"

"Yes, what is it?" asked Cruger.

"I saw Lieutenant Jackson earlier that day, and he seemed distressed."

"Distressed?" Cruger's face became concerned and alarmed.

"Yes." Dru nodded his head. "He looked like he had a lot on his shoulders." Dru put on the best honest look he could pull off. "Sir, you don't think it's possible that Lieutenant Jackson took his own life, do you?"

Cruger's eyes widened. "What!" he roared. "How dare you!"

"Doggie!" Kat pulled him back, knowing if she didn't, he would have gone after Dru. "I'm sure Dru didn't mean anything by it." She looked to him. "Did you, Dru?"

"No ma'am." He looked back to Cruger. "No sir. That's why I didn't want to say it." He looked at both of them compassionately. "I am heartbroken just as much as you are; Lieutenant Jackson was a great man and ranger." He was clever; he had to give himself credit, but was it enough or was it too much? He couldn't tell what was going on inside Cruger's head, but one thing was for sure. He wasn't off the hook, not yet.

Cruger took a deep breath, trying to ease off his anger towards Dru's theory. A theory which he hoped was not true. "Yes he was."

Dru waited and then spoke. "Is there anything else, sir? I promised Sky I'd meet him in the gym."

Cruger scratched his chin. "That's all for now, but we will talk about this relationship you had later."

"Of course, sir," smiled Dru.

Once Dru was gone, "Did you believe him?"

"Dru does well in all of his classes, stays on top and has managed to keep top rank in target shooting," stated Kat.

"Yes." He turned to face her. "He's one of the best cadets here."

"But…"

"But I don't know if I believe him. I may not be able to charge him with Dash's murder, but I can transfer him somewhere else." He turned and started to head out. "A change of scenery might do his cocky boyish attitude some good."

Kat looked at him, concerned. "He's Sky's best friend, you sure you really want to break them up?"

"He'll have new best friends," replied Cruger, looking over his shoulder as he headed out.

* * *

On his way towards the gym, Dru ran right into Charlie, as if it was intentional. "Fancy meeting you here, Cadet Harrington." She smirked. "I would have thought they'd have you in shackles by now."

Dru crossed his arms against his chest. "Well, I guess I know who to thank for my problems with Cruger," he replied harshly.

Charlie snickered. "Well, you were out after curfew. It was only fair." She walked past him, brushing against his shoulder and then slightly turned around. "And like you said, you're only the _messenger._ You're dispensable." She started to walk away.

He clenched his fist and felt anger flow though his veins. How dare she call him dispensable! When it was him doing all the work getting the top secret information and codes. When all she was doing was working herself in, and playing nice with the cadets. "What makes you think I won't tell Cruger what really happened?" He eyed her sharply. "Like who really killed Lieutenant Jackson."

Charlie smiled. The kid had guts, she had to give him that, but she knew better. "Because _you_ won't. You know there are things far worse than Cruger." She winked at him. "I'll be seeing you."

She was right, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. There were worst things than Cruger, and he happened already to be playing right into their dirty hands. "Yeah. I'm sure you will."

* * *

Dru and Sky had been in the gym for the last half hour, sparring against each other. They were two of the best fighters out of all the C squad cadets and were improving each and every day. "You're getting better," said Dru, as Sky blocked his double punches.

"Or you're getting slower," laughed Sky, as he moved quickly and flipped Dru over his back.

"Oh, you're funny," laughed Dru as Sky helped him up. They got into their fighting stances, when the bell rang, signaling everyone to take a break. Exhausted, both of them dropped down on the mat, each drinking from their water bottles and wiping the sweat away from their faces.

"So how'd it go with Cruger?" asked Sky as he took a sip of his water.

"It's Cruger, what do you think?"

Sky grinned. "Yeah." He punched Dru on the arm. "I guess that will teach you about going after girls late at night."

"Yeah," he laughed. "I got you something." Dru dug into his gym bag and pulled out a silver bracelet, and handed it to Sky.

Sky eyed the bracelet that was on Dru's wrist. "Hey, it looks just like yours."

"Yeah. It is. Where I come from, giving a Tangarian bracelet is a symbol of friendship. And who better to give it to than my best friend?"

"Really, me? Thanks man, it's great." He put it on his wrist and then clanged it against Dru's. "Awesome!"

* * *

"You wanted to see me, sir?" asked Tanner as he walked into the command base. He hadn't left with the others, not even when Heather, his girlfriend, insisted that he come home with her. But he declined. He just couldn't bring himself to leave, as if it meant he was giving up. He wanted to find the person who was responsible for Dash's death. He wanted them to pay, make them pay for what they had done to Dash's family.

"Yes, I did." Cruger sighed heavily. Although it was good news, in the same way it was sad because once he did this it really would mean that Dash was gone and he wasn't going to be coming back. "I'm promoting you to leader for the duration, as a ranger. You will be responsible for making the final decisions as to which cadets will take your place."

He had been expecting this. And he was honored that Cruger felt him worthy, but at the same time he felt guilty, maybe even responsible in some way. He nodded his head and smiled faintly. "Any new leads?" he asked. He and his teammates had been taken off the case, due to the fact that they would be too emotionally involved.

Cruger shook his head sadly. "No. I'm sorry."

He sighed heavily. It wasn't that he wanted Dru to be found guilty, but more that he wanted to find the person responsible. He just couldn't go on without ever finding the one responsible for his friend's death. "What about Cadet Dru Harrington?"

"He was seen coming out of the elevator during the time Dash was killed," Cruger sighed. "He couldn't have killed him."

"What was he doing down there that late?"

"He said he was meeting one of the older female cadets." He started walking around. "Apparently they had a relationship with each other."

"What?" Tanner found it hard to believe that one of the older cadets would risk jeopardizing her place at SPD. It just didn't seem to make much sense, but then again, things like this had been known to happen. "Did he see anything?"

"No. Everything seemed normal to him." Cruger sighed, as much as he hated to say it, they had to consider all possibilities. "However, he did say that earlier in the day he had seen Dash, and felt that Dash seemed distressed."

"Distressed?" And then Tanner saw where this was going. "You're not saying he took his own life, are you?" That was crazy. Sure Dash had a lot on his shoulders, but he would have never done anything like this. He couldn't have, not when he had a wife he loved more than anything, not when he had three boys who he was crazy about. It just wouldn't be like him.

"No." He shook his head. "But we have to consider all possibilities." He saw Tanner's face fall and quickly gripped his shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise."

He smiled faintly and nodded. "I know." It was just a matter of when.

"This isn't your fault, Tanner. The doctors said he died instantly, even if you had gotten there right when he contacted you it wouldn't have made a difference."

Tanner bit his lips. "I could have been there for him. No one should have to die alone." He couldn't even imagine what it must have felt like for Dash, knowing that he was going to die. He imagined it must have been very similar to how Wes must have felt, knowing that he was going to die.

Cruger didn't answer, just patted Tanner on the back. He knew all too well, he too had wished several times over that he had been there for Andros, the other rangers, and his wife, when they had died. Been there for them, held their hands, or died along with them.


	37. Cruger's Decisions part 2

It was Sunday. Their day off, with no regular scheduled classes or training tactics, none of the younger cadets had to even wear their uniforms. Only the officers that were on duty had to wear their uniforms.

Dru was on his bed reading a book, while Sky was on the ground doing his daily hundred push-ups. He had done them ever since he was little, something he had started on a regular basis shortly after his father's death. "Ninety-five. Ninety-six."

"Sky, take a break; you've been doing those all morning. You keep this up and you'll be doing enough push-ups for the both of us."

"Ninety-seven." Sky laughed as he finished off the last few pushups. He stood up and turned to Dru. "Then I guess I'll be doing you a favor." Dru grinned. Leave it to Sky to make a joke out of staying in shape.

There was a knock at their dorm door. "I'll get it." Sky walked up to the door and opened it to find Commander Cruger standing in front of him. What could he want? It was unlikely he had come over to check on the upkeep of their dorm. Normally that would be left to lower level officers. "Commander Cruger, is there something you need, sir?"

"No, you're fine, Sky." He patted the young cadet on the shoulder and walked inside. He scanned the room for a moment, finding everything in its place. The beds were made; no clothes or other belongings were lying on the ground. "Nice upkeep."

"Thank you, sir." Suddenly the reason as to why Cruger would have shown up unannounced at their dorm came to him. It must have something to do with Dru; there was no other reason as far as he knew why the commander would show up out of the blue. His assumptions were confirmed the second he saw Cruger approach Dru, who was still lying on his bed reading his book.

"Cadet Harrington, do you not know it is disrespectful not to acknowledge a high ranking officer when in their presence?" he barked.

_One of these days I swear I'm going to make him eat his own words. _Dru quickly stood up and saluted him. "I apologize, sir, but I thought since it was Sunday that there was no need to be formal. I meant no disrespect."

"Of course," Cruger replied calmly. It was true; Sunday was the one day out of the week that the cadets out of uniform didn't need to be formal.

Dru smiled slyly. "It's okay, sir, we all make mistakes."

Cruger could feel his anger boil inside of him. It was one thing to have a cadet correct him, but another thing to have one of them make a fool out of him. He had had about enough of Dru's continuous disrespect and cocky boyish attitude. "Pack your bags, Cadet Harrington, you're being transferred to the Nebula Academy."

"What!" both Dru and Sky yelled.

"Sir, that's not fair. He didn't even do anything. This is bullshit!" yelled Sky carelessly in his anger.

Cruger quickly turned to Sky. "Watch your tone, Cadet Tate. And the next time you make a comment like that to me or any high ranking officer, punishment will be in order. Is that understood?"

Sky took a deep breath, biting down on his tongue to prevent him from saying anything else that would get him in trouble. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Cruger stared him hard in the eyes.

"Yes sir," he replied.

"Good." Cruger turned back to Dru. "You leave at 2000 hours. I expect to see you at the docking bay, twenty minutes beforehand. Is that understood, cadet?"

"Yes sir," replied Dru harshly.

"Good. I'll see you then."

After Cruger had left, Dru took the book he had been reading and threw it across the wall, yelling out in his anger.

* * *

An hour after Cruger had left the dorm. Dru had left, telling Sky he was just going out to get some air. He walked down the flight of stairs and backed into a dark corner, so no one would see or hear him.

"_This is certainly a predicament you have gotten yourself into," _said Broodwing.

Dru looked at the holograph. "I told you it wasn't my fault. It was _their_ fault. If they had just kept their big mouths shut and hadn't killed Lieutenant Jackson, we wouldn't be having this problem."

"_Yes. I suppose we wouldn't be. Gruumm's minions are becoming too unpredictable. There's no telling what they will do. Which is why I have plans of my own."_

"Your own plans? What are you talking about?" Dru laughed for a moment. "You're not thinking about going against them and Gruumm, are you?"

"_Precisely, my dear boy._ _It has been my plan all along."_

"You're crazy, you know what he would do to you if he ever found out." Dru had known first hand what happened to those who double-crossed Gruumm, his parents had paid the allotted price. He had been spared, but had to devote his life to Gruumm's empire.

"_He won't find out!" snapped Broodwing." I would have thought you, more than anyone, would want to take Gruumm down for what he did to your parents."_

"Leave them out of this," he snapped.

"_Stay with me and I promise you, you will have more than you ever dreamed of."_

"And what about SPD?"

"_All in good time, my boy._ _You will have your revenge on both Commander Cruger and Gruumm, and then you'll be the one standing on top. What do you say?"

* * *

_

Tanner sighed heavily, as he and his friends sat around in the briefing room. He had called them all in today to meet at SPD to discuss who would be taking their places. But none of them seemed to be in high spirits, in fact all any of them wanted was to get it done and over with. It was as if the very reason for what they once stood for no longer existed. Dash had been the heart of the team, always there for them, always knew what to do. And now being a ranger didn't seem to matter.

"I've called you all down here to make the final decision of which cadets will take our place." He paused for a moment, as if he were trying to say what Dash would have said, but his words never came. Tanner looked up and eyed his three teammates. "I'm choosing to go with Charlie's team."

Heather reached over and took Tanner's hand into her, smiling warmly at him. "I go with Charlie and her team too." Heather turned and looked at Gina and Culby. "I know they'll do a good job."

"Me too." Gina nodded her head. "They're the best choice."

Now all that remained was Culby. They all turned to him, eyeing him, as if they were expecting him to object like he had so many times before. But this time it was different, the spark, the determination that had once been in his eyes was gone. It was as if his spirit, his will had died along with Dash. Culby bit his lip and for the first time, he no longer cared who would be taking his place, nothing mattered anymore. "Charlie," he answered softly.

"You sure, Culby?" asked Tanner, as if he almost wanted him to object, to give back some kind of normalcy.

"I'm sure," he replied.

Tanner nodded his head. "Okay. I'll inform Commander Cruger." He stood up and squeezed Heather's hand before letting it go. "I'll see you guys later."

They watched as Tanner left the room. Culby watched longest, part of him wanting to go after Tanner, to say that he had made a mistake. But the strength to do so never came. His heart and soul, what he truly believed, were no longer there. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. All he could hope was that he had been wrong about Charlie and her team all along and that they truly were the right ones for the job and would carry on the tradition.

* * *

Sky had walked along with Dru, carrying one of his bags, to bid him farewell for what could be the last time. It was very rare, once a cadet was transferred, that they ever returned, especially if they weren't originally from Earth. They found Cruger and Kat waiting in the docking bay room, standing in front of a ship with its hatch open with several cadets already boarding it.

"Well, I guess this is it." Sky sighed as he set Dru's bag in front of him. "Try not to get into too much trouble."

Dru grinned. "You know me. Trouble's my middle name."

"That it is." Sky smiled faintly. He had gotten used to saying goodbyes; it was like tying his shoes. But for the first time since his father's death, this goodbye left a numb feeling inside of him. The same kind of numbness he had felt when he learned his father had died. Dru had been the first person in years that he had let in close enough to get to know him. And now he was saying goodbye to his best friend, not knowing whether or not he was going to see him again. "Take care of yourself, Dru."

"You too." Dru looked over his shoulder, towards Cruger, who was starting to get that testy look of his. "Well, I'd better go before the big blue dog barks at me."

Sky laughed. "Yeah." They clanged their bracelets together before Dru started towards the ship's entrance.

Before he got all the way inside, he turned around and waved goodbye to Sky. "You better be a ranger by the time I get back, Tate."

"I'll do my best," said Sky, as he waved goodbye to Dru and watched him head all the way into the ship, watching as the hatch closed, and a few moments later the ship began to lift up and started towards the night sky, disappearing into space.

"This is for the best. One day, you'll thank me," announced Cruger.

Sky angrily turned to Cruger. "Who the hell do you think you are, my father?" Filled with the fury and anger he had built up from earlier in the day, he just lost it. "I had a dad, and he was great! So I don't need _you_ going around babying and protecting me around the other cadets and treating me differently!" He was sick and tired of Cruger acting like he was doing what was best for him. Dru was the only friend he had at SPD, and now Cruger had taken that from him as well. In his anger, he no longer knew what he was saying and had lost all control of his emotions. "Is there anything else you'd like to take from me, or was Dru and my father enough for you?"

Cruger held his ground. It wasn't uncommon that a cadet was disrespectful towards him. He just never thought Sky would be one of them. "It's almost a blessing your father isn't here to see his son acting so disrespectful and childish." Cruger looked Sky right in the eyes. "Your father would be very disappointed with you."

In his frustration and fury, Sky was about to yell out, but the pang of hurt in his heart stopped him. Before anything else happened, Sky stormed off.

"You still sure you did the right thing?" asked Kat, who had remained silent during the whole confrontation.

"It was for his own good." Cruger turned and looked her hard in the eyes. He hated it when she questioned his authority over the cadets. "He had no reason to act the way he did."

"Open your eyes, Doggie. If you did, you would see that Sky is a very angry boy. A very angry boy who has been angry at the world for a very long time." She looked him in the eyes with concern. "You can only push him so far. He may be more special than the other cadets, but at the end of the day he's still just a sixteen year old boy who has lost everything that has ever meant anything to him." She stopped and bowed her head down, sighing gently, and then looked up at him softly. "I would have thought you'd understand what that feels like."

And for the first time ever, Cruger was a loss for words. He was left frozen, just staring off into space, and questioning his own judgment. Had he been too hard on Sky?

* * *

Sky ran into his room, and closed the door behind him and lost it. His back slid down the door and tears ran down his cheeks. The last time he had cried this much, was at his father funeral, since then he had done all he could to prevent himself from crying. He hated it. It made him feel week. He had to be strong. Only the strongest get to become a power ranger. Sky stared off into the picture on his night stand, staring at his fathers face and then he bowed his head down sighing, know that he had gone over the edge with Cruger. After everything Cruger had done for him, allowing him in early and always there for him and in return he had acted disrespectful towards him. Sky let out a deep breath and looked up at the picture once more. "I'm sorry dad. I just miss you so much,"

* * *

Tanner slowly walked into the Command Base to find Cruger standing at his post. It was rare to ever find the Commander anywhere else, he didn't sleep, he barely ate or even took a break. It was as if it was his punishment for failing to protect Sirius and all those who had lost their lives.

"Sir, we've come to a decision,"

"And?"

Taking a deep breath he stepped forward to face him. "We all agreed that Charlie and her squad would make excellent rangers,"

"Very well. We'll make the announcement to them at the end of the week,"

"Of course, sir," Tanner nodded his head and started towards the exist entrance.

"Tanner, I haven't received re-enlistment, papers yet,"

He stopped and turned around slightly. "I wasn't planning on re-enlisting," He bit his lip and looked down at the floor, before looking back up at Cruger. "I hope you understand,"

He nodded his head gently. "We'll miss you here, you and the others," As hard as it was to find out, that none of them would be returning. He understood all too well, losing a teammate, is hard. It changes everything. It makes you see things differently. So differently, that you forget things that were once important to you.

"I'll miss you too, sir," Tanner smiled faintly, and then left without saying another word.


	38. The Bond Begins

Never had she felt so alone in all her life. It had only been a week since they died. It was sudden, it had been an accident. The road had been bad. It was painless; at least that's what the doctors had told her. They didn't suffer. She thought she should be happy that there was no pain, but she couldn't help but feel angry.

She had been left behind. And now no one seemed to want her. She had no relatives; at least that's what social services had told her when they placed her in a group home. But she didn't fit in there. She was different, far too different for any of them to understand. No one would talk or play with her, and in her loneliness she would replicate herself, so she wouldn't be alone. And because of that the other kids were either scared or made fun of her.

After a week the caretakers couldn't take much more, so she was being moved to another group home, probably far away from home, at least that's what she thought. No one would really tell her much of anything that was going on. She sat in the train station with her head down. The social worker walked up to her and handed her the ticket.

"Elizabeth, your train will be here in about an hour. I have another child I need to pick up across town, so the man at the ticket booth is going to watch you get on the train. Okay?" She smiled faintly.

Z looked up and nodded her head. "Okay." She looked down at her feet and for an instant she wished she had never been born. No one wanted a kid with mutant powers. She was a freak; even in school she never had any friends. Her parents had tried to give her the best life possible, but sometimes she felt it was out of guilt. That they felt responsible for why she was different. As far as she knew her life was over. She'd go to another group home, until they too found out what she was and then decide they didn't want her anymore.

"Man, I haven't had one of these in like forever," said an older boy who sat down next to her. He looked to be around fifteen, maybe a little older. He had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. And he had an assortment of clothing on him. He took a huge bite of the hamburger that he had snatched from the snack bar in the connecting building of the station. It was like he hadn't eaten one in days, years even. "Man, this is so good!"

He turned and noticed that the girl sitting next to him looked very sad. "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you want one? I have two of them." He handed her the other wrapped hamburger. When she didn't take it, "Go on take it, I don't bite." He smiled. "Well, not much anyways." That got a smile out of Z. "Well I guess you do know how to smile."

"Thanks." She took the hamburger and began to unwrap it.

"Oh, I'm Jack by the way." He held out his hand.

"You can call me Z." She smiled. "Thank you for the hamburger. I feel like I haven't eat in a week."

Jack nodded his head. "I know how that is. I went without food for almost two weeks once."

She looked at him, concerned. "Don't your parents feed you?"

"Nah. I haven't seen them in years. It's a long story and I really don't like talking about it." His mind drifted elsewhere for a moment…

_He had only been out on the streets for six months, and was already finding it wasn't as easy as he had thought it was. Some nights he barely ate anything at all. Sometimes he was lucky enough to find some eatable food in the garbage. Sleeping was even harder to do. And most places where others like himself weren't safe. Too many bad people out there who prey on kids. So he decided to bite the bullet and go back home. His parents were probably worried sick about him._

_But when he returned back to his home, he found another family living in his apartment. His parents were long gone. He thought about asking, but never had the courage. He was too hurt that they had just packed up and left, as if he no longer mattered to them. They were probably back with the missionaries, helping people in need. He should be happy, his parents were helping others, but he couldn't help but feel as if they had forgotten him._

He sighed as the memory faded away. "If that's okay with you." He took another bite of his hamburger. He didn't want to talk about his past, whether it was because it made him angry, or sad, or both, he didn't know. All he knew was he didn't want to talk about it.

For the longest moment she just stared at her burger, as if she was lost in a trance. "My parents died a week ago."

He sighed heavily and found himself no longer hungry. And for a moment he almost felt guilty for the way he acted about his parents, like he no longer cared about them. Where this girl cared very much about her parents, and now she no longer had them in her life. "I'm sorry. You must miss them."

"Every day."

For a moment he looked around in the station, but they were alone. The man at the ticket booth had disappeared into the back room. "You waiting for your aunt or someone to come and get you?"

"No. I don't have any family, at least no one who wants me. I'll be going to my second group home." She turned to face him. "It probably won't be for long, once people get to know me, the _real_ me. They won't like me anymore."

"Really? You seem like a nice girl. And I've only known you for a few minutes and I already like you."

Z laughed. "Just wait." She turned back towards her hamburger, just staring at it, wanting to take a bite, but at the same time not feeling very hungry. "I'm different. I'm not like other kids."

"Oh. I see." Jack nodded his head. "So you're really a sea monster disguised as a little girl."

Z laughed again. She didn't know what it was, but she felt comfortable talking to Jack. He made her laugh, which was something she hadn't done much of in her thirteen years of living. "Almost."

"Not a sea monster, hmm." He looked at her and laughed. "Okay, I give up."

"You sure you want to know?" She turned to him and looked him right in the eyes. "Once people find out, that's usually when they start running."

"Try me. I've lived out on the streets for the past two years, so I've seen scary." Jack smiled warmly at her and placed his hand on top of hers. "Come on. I promise I won't run away."

She thought about it for a moment. For so long she had wanted a friend, wanted someone who wouldn't be afraid of her, wouldn't make fun of her and wouldn't run away. Could Jack be the friend she had been wishing for, for so long? "Okay." She took a deep breath. "I can replicate myself." She put her head down, afraid to look into his eyes, afraid to see what she had seen so many times before.

"Really?" Jack nodded his head. "And I thought _my_ powers were bizarre."

"Wait… You mean you're not scared?" She looked right at him and still couldn't believe he hadn't run away or called her a freak or a weirdo, or some other hurtful name, that so many had called her.

"No." He smiled. "Why would I be? Man, I bet you could clean your room and do your homework so fast. Man I would love to have what you have. All I can do is walk through walls."

She looked at him weird, had she heard right? "Wait, did you just say you walk through walls?"

"Yep." He laughed. "What, did you think you were the only human with strange powers?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one."

"Me too." Jack smiled. He really wasn't alone. There was someone else like him who felt the way he did. "Hey, what would you say if I asked you to come with me?"

"On the streets?" She wasn't so sure if she liked the sound of that. She knew the streets were dangerous, especially at night. It was no place for a young girl. It wasn't even a place for young boys. Too many bad things could happen.

"Yeah. I promise I'll look out for you. I'll be your big brother." He grinned. "Unless of course you like being bounced from one group home to another." He held out his hand. "What do you say, Z?"

She thought about it for a moment; although going to the group home would be a safer place, it wasn't exactly in her best interest. She was different, and no one would even be able to begin to understand what she was going through. But Jack, he was like her, different. He understood. He knew what it was like, to have no friends, to have people run away. She smiled brightly. "Well. I did always want an older brother."

"All right!" He stood up and took her hand. "Let's get out of here, sis."

* * *

Today they honored the memory of their fallen comrade, Dashel Jackson the third. His family, friends, teammates and fellow cadets attended the funeral and ceremony that Commander Cruger was giving. Tears of pure sorrow were being shed, both for Dash and the family he had left behind.

"Today we remember Dash for the man he was. An honorable ranger, a loyal friend, a loving husband and father. I don't think there is a person in this room whose life hasn't been touched by him. We are all better to have known him." Cruger looked around the room. This hadn't been the first time he had given one of these eulogies, to honor and remember a fallen ranger. The last time it had been Commander Wesley Collins, one of the best rangers the academy had ever had. And like Wes, Dash too left behind a family, small children, who still needed their father.

Sky started to block out what Cruger was saying. He had heard it before, and it wasn't that he didn't care, because he did. He still remembered the young man who had given him his father's helmet and spoken highly of him. That seemed so long ago now. And now almost a decade later, Dash had died, like his father. Leaving behind three very young boys, much younger than he was when his father died.

He eyed the young three boys, sitting closely to their mother and grandparents. He was reminded of sitting close to his grandfather and Lisa. And now they too were out of his life. His grandfather had died a few years ago and he hadn't heard from Lisa in years. They had once been so close, and now had become strangers. She had a new family now… Part of him wanted to be angry with her, but he just couldn't bring himself to be. In the last letter she had sent him, she seemed so happy. She had moved on with her life. He couldn't be angry with her for that.

Sky sighed heavily, as he watched as Dash's teammates handed the three boys their father's helmet. He wondered if, when they got to be his age, they would even remember their father. Would they remember the sound of his voice? His laugh? The way he would tuck them in at night? There were days he felt like he was forgetting his father, like he had forgotten his mother. The memories were there, he just couldn't latch onto them, as if something was preventing them from coming out. The painful memories of having to grow up without both his father and mother overflowed in his mind. And in that moment he swore to himself, that never again would he allow himself to feel this way, the pain of loss and loneliness. Even if that meant being alone….

* * *

"What do you mean, she didn't get on the train? You were supposed to stay with her until she boarded the train!" yelled Cruger into the phone.

"_I am sorry, Commander Cruger, but there was another child that I had to meet with across town. Which is why I told the man at the ticket booth to keep an eye on her and make sure she got on the train all right."_

"And did he see her get on the train?"

"_No. From what he told me he turned away for a few minutes. When he returned she was gone. He tried looking for her but couldn't find her anywhere."_

"I see. And when he last saw her, did he see anyone else with her?"

"_He said he saw her talking to an older boy. He thought the boy looked to be fifteen or so, a street kid."_

"And was the boy still there when he returned?"

"_No, he was gone too."_

"So your assumption is she took off with this boy."

"_It's possible, sir. But the local police are already out searching for her. We'll find her, it's just a manner of when."_

"Yes. You had better." Angry, he slammed the phone down.

"Problems?" announced Kat as she walked into Cruger's office.

He sighed heavily and ran his hand down his face. "Elizabeth Delgado is missing. She didn't get on the train. And it is believed that she ran off with some street boy."

It had only been a few days ago since he had learned of the accident that killed Elizabeth's parents. And how the group home she was placed in wasn't working out, which was why he was going to permit her into the academy. They were already going into the process that would allow those who were under fifteen years of age into the academy.

So he had gotten hold of social services and had asked them to send her here, but she lived way across town and would have to take the train to get within Newtech City where the academy was. He had even gotten a room ready for her and was planning on returning the necklace that she had lost two years before. And none of that seemed possible; first it was Jack and now her as well.

"She'll turn up, eventually."

"I hope you're right."

Kat smiled faintly and started out of the office, but suddenly a thought came across her mind. "Sir." She turned around. "What if this street boy that she was talking to was Jack?"

He didn't answer right away. It was possible he supposed, but it would have to be a one in a million chance that it had been Jack. But stranger and more miraculous things had happened. He had become accustomed to Earth beliefs, about a greater power, watching over them. Was it too good to be true? Or was it life's way of working things out? He couldn't know for sure, but he felt an ease of relief of knowing that someone was watching over them, even if he couldn't directly see or know it's really there. Sometimes seeing isn't always believing, sometimes you have to look further and see what's within. "Anything's possible."

**A few days later…**

Sky entered into the Command Base and found Cruger at his post, as usual. Earlier in the day he had gotten a message, asking him to meet with Cruger after dinner. He had been dreading it all day. The last time they had spoken had ended on bad terms, and he wasn't sure if he could look at him in the same way. But knowing he had to suck it up and put that behind him, he walked up to Cruger promptly. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes." Cruger cleared his throat, although he was still angry at Sky for his behavior. But he knew he had to make amends with the young boy, who had been through so much already. "Next year, which is only a few months away, we will be getting a very important new cadet, Sydney Drew, and I would like you to show her around. If all goes as planned she might be moved up to C squad."

"Moved up to C…" One look from Cruger and he decided not to finish his sentence. "Of course sir, I'd be glad to show her around."

"Good." Cruger nodded his head and then the awkward silence started. This hadn't been the only reason he had called Sky down. But the other reason was a little harder for him to approach. He was never very good at making apologies or admitting he was wrong. "How have you been doing?"

Sky was a little caught off guard by the question but answered it anyways. "Fine. I guess."

He nodded his head and coughed silently. "Good. I know that Lieutenant Jackson's funeral may have brought back some memories, about your f….."

"I'm fine sir. Really," he said all too quickly. "Could I be dismissed, I have a test tomorrow and I need to study."

"Of course." Cruger sighed as he watched him go, knowing very well that Sky wasn't fine. He was able to hide it well, but he couldn't hide the hurt and pain that lay deep inside of him.

Sky nearly bumped into Kat, on his way to his dorm. "Sorry, Dr. Manx."

"It's all right. I've gotten used to cadets bumping into me. And Boom blowing up things." She started to ramble on, but saw the weird look on Sky's face. "So, you headed down to the game lounge with the other cadets?"

"No. I was going to head back to my room, and do some studying."

"Oh, okay." She smiled.

He smiled. "Later, Dr. Manx." He started back the hall, but Kat wasn't quite done with him yet.

"You know, Sky..." She watched as he looked over his shoulder. "You were right about one thing. You don't need anyone to protect you." She paused for a moment looking into his eyes. "You already do that all on your own." She smiled again at him and then went on her way.

Did he? His powers, his curse, as what he would sometime call it, enabled him to create protective shields. Had his own power consumed his body, not allowing anyone to come inside? It was what he wanted. Wasn't it?


	39. Ten Years with the Birthday Blues

It was a new beginning again for him. He was starting over all over, picking up the pieces once again. Sometimes he felt he was cursed, or maybe his family was. The doctors had said she'd had it for years, just didn't know it until it was too late. It hadn't been his fault in any way, but he still felt guilty somehow. _What good is it being from the future if you can't even help those you care about?_ But he did have happy memories, those were the best nine years of his life, and he wouldn't trade anything in the world for them; well, unless he could wish to do it all over again.

He and Jill had married and had a daughter, _Jenny_. Although Jill knew who they had named their daughter after, she only knew that he and Jen had been married for a short time and he had helped her raise her son, and they had died years ago. Although most of that was true, Sky was in fact very much alive. When it was near the time Jill was dying, he had told her the truth about who he really was, where he came from. She just smiled and said 'I always knew you were something special'.

It had only been a few months since she had died. He decided he and his seven-year-old daughter needed a new start, so they moved to Reefside, a place that had at one time been his home. He had friends there, well almost; it had been years since he had seen anyone of them. But that hadn't been the only reason; surprisingly Jill's parents lived in Reefside. He almost found it ironic, like maybe it was meant to be.

He and Jenny were standing out in front of the Reefside School, she was starting kindergarten. He knew it was hard for her, starting off somewhere new, having to make friends all over again. He bent down in front of her, smiling. "Don't worry you're going to have fun. The kids are going to love you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "And if anyone gives you any trouble, just tell them your dad could kick their butts."

"Daddy!"

He laughed. "Okay. You don't have to say that." He hugged her and then kissed her on the cheek. "Have a good day at school, honey."

"Okay." She waved. "Bye, Daddy." Jenny started into the school and was met by another seven-year-old girl with long black hair.

"Hi, I'm Erin."

"I'm Jenny, nice to meet you."

Erin grabbed her hand. "Come on, I'll show you around." Erin turned and waved goodbye to her mother. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, honey," called her mother.

Drake froze in his tracks, and felt a shiver go down his back. The woman standing behind him, it was a voice from the past. He knew it was possible and likely he would run into one of them, but he wasn't suspecting it to be so soon.

"You have a beautiful daughter," announced Haley.

"Thanks, she gets it from her mother," he replied softly, and then there was a long pause. He thought she might have left, but then…

"So how've you been?"

He laughed, as he turned around. "How'd you know?"

"I saw you in the parking lot getting out of your car."

"I guess my beard isn't much of a disguise," he replied, rubbing his chin. It wasn't a full beard, just not a clean shave. At first he had hated it, but over time had gotten comfortable with it.

She smiled. "Well, for anyone who wasn't in the FBI. I'm sure Eric and Tommy wouldn't be able to tell." She paused for a moment. "But I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"Tommy maybe, I don't know about Eric. He probably hates me." And he didn't have to say why.

She smiled faintly at him. "He doesn't hate you. He blamed himself more than anything, but he's better now."

"Good."

Hayley sighed heavily, she didn't want to ask it, but part of her wanted to know. Needed to know. She looked into his face. "Did you know?"

He sighed heavily, knowing that it would be hard for her to hear. "I knew it would be one of them."

"Did you ever think-"

"Hundreds of times, I played it over and over in my head. I'd warn him, save him, or even take his place, but…" He bowed his head down. "Doing that would change too much, and I couldn't, as much as I wanted to I couldn't. I couldn't risk them finding out about Sky."

She could see very well that this hurt him, even more than it had hurt Eric. Alex had carried the guilt of knowing something was going to happen, but had no way to know who or how to stop it. "You did what you had to do."

He nodded. "Yeah." He smiled faintly. "I was however able to send a communication out to Wes." He bit his lip. "…Jen, talked to him before he died."

"What?" She was in shock. "But how, I thought Jen-"

"She is. But I was able to contact myself in the future, before she died. She talked to Wes, moments before he died, through his morpher." It was strange, to at one point have no memory of it at all and then in a second have the memory, as if it had been there all along. "I felt it was only right, that they say goodbye to each other."

"_Are you ready?" he asked, handing Jen the communication device, while she lay in bed, weak and near death. It had just been moments ago, since Alex from the future, or rather the past had contacted them, telling them of the situation and how sorry he was._

_She looked at him with tears in her eyes and her face pale. "You don't get to be ready for this." She was thankful that Sky was asleep in his room, he didn't need to hear this, but at the same time she felt her heart breaking, knowing that she and Wes had brought a child in the world, but he would have to grow up without them. She could only hope that the few years he and Wes had together, he would treasure always._

"_I know," he answered softly. _

_Her voice already breaking, she spoke into the device. "Wes..."_

"_Oh, Jen…You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice," he cried. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep your promise."_

"_Don't be. It's not your fault, you did everything you could," she cried. She was afraid to ask, but at the same time needed to know. "…How long do you have?"_

"_Not long."_

"_I want you to know I love you very much, and I'm sorry for everything."_

"_I love you too. I'll be seeing you soon, goodbye Jen."_

"_No Wes, don't…" The communication went dead. "Oh Wes," she cried._

"_I'm sorry Jen." Alex wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry."_

"At least they're together now." Hayley smiled faintly.

"Yeah." He smiled too. "Well, I should be going. I have a job interview."

"Where?"

"Where else, the police station."

Hayley waved. "See yah around Alex."

He turned and looked over his shoulder. "It's Drake now actually, Drake Alexander."

Hayley smiled as she watched him go, seeing that he really had changed. She could see it in his eyes; he no longer looked at life the way he once did. He understood that the love Wes and Jen had once shared had been real and should have been so much more. But she could also see sadness in his eyes, as if he had gone down a long road of his own tragedies.

* * *

"_Good. You have succeeded in phase one of my plan," hissed Gruumm._

Charlie, hidden deep in the underground of SPD, grinned at the holographic image of Gruumm. "Of course, my master, and now that we're rangers, the sky's the limit. When the time comes the others and I will be ready to strike."

"_Good. Until then keep on doing what you've been doing. Doggie Cruger suspects nothing, right?"_

Charlie snickered. "The old dog doesn't suspect a thing. He finds us more loyal than most of his cadets. It's like taking candy from a baby."

"_Good." His eyes turned red. "Because the last thing we need is another misstep; you are very lucky that Dashel Jackson died before he could blow your cover."_

"I assure you, an incident like that will not happen again. You have my word."

"_I'll hold you to your word." Gruumm then cut the connection.

* * *

_

It had been four months since his passing and they still were no closer to finding out who had killed Dash. The video provided no information and Dru had left the scene even before Dash had showed up. He had even talked to the girl with whom he claimed he had a relationship. The girl provided no information, and after that he had her transferred to the academy on KO-35. It was looking like it would go unsolved. He just hated not being able to give Dash's family any closure. All he could provide to his young wife and three children was his promise that they would be okay. He would send them a check every month and when the boys were old enough, they would be able to attend the academy free of charge.

Doggie sighed heavily, as he went over the new enrollment papers for 2017. Several new cadets would arrive next week, but there was only one he had his eyes set on. Sydney Drew, age fifteen. He would soon have two of the five. But it wouldn't be long before he would have three of five. Just last week he had heard from the Carsons, and they both assured him that Bridge would arriving at the academy, he would just be a few weeks late. Not that he minded, he was getting Bridge a lot sooner than he originally planned. Bridge was still fourteen years old and it would be several months until he was fifteen, but since the age requirement had been lowered, it wasn't even a problem.

All he could hope was that Sky would work well with them. Sky wasn't the easiest person to get along with, he was hotheaded and paranoid. Nothing like his father; Wes had been easygoing and laid back. Cruger wondered if Sky was like his mother, but he had no way of knowing. He had never met Sky's mother and Wes would rarely ever talk about her in front of him. He could only guess that Sky's behavior could be the result of what he had gone through growing up. But he knew that somewhere deep inside Sky was a great man, a man his father would be proud of. He just needed someone to show him the way.

* * *

Sky sat alone on his bed in the dorm room, door wide open. On the days he had no classes or patrol call, he either spent the time at the gym or in his room thinking about his life, what he wanted and what he wished he could change. He rarely ever hung out with the other cadets; sure there were a few he would hang with, but not many. He kept on telling himself that none of them would be able to replace Dru, not the kind of friendship, the kind of bond that they had shared. Dru had been like a brother to him, still was. And he knew he would never have a friend like him. 

Something then nudged at his foot. "What the…" Sky looked down and saw RIC staring up at him. He had no idea why, but RIC never seemed to leave him alone. Whenever he was out on his patrols of the academy, RIC was always right on his tail and wouldn't leave him alone. And when ever he was in the game room, RIC stood at his legs, with a ball in his mouth. "What? What do you want RIC?"

RIC dropped his ball in front of Sky's feet and barked, wagging his tail.

Sky lightly kicked the ball away, and watched as RIC watched the ball roll by disappointedly. "Sorry, I don't feel like playing." He got up and walked out of his room hoping not to be followed, but he never had been that lucky.

RIC quickly followed behind him, and when Sky started to move faster RIC moved just as fast. After a few minutes of walking down the hall, Sky had had about enough. He was sick and tired of the annoying robotic dog, always on his tail. Angry, Sky turned around. "RIC, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Having his feelings hurt, RIC turned around and walked away with his head and tail hung low. He didn't even get excited when he walked past Kat.

"Hi RI-" Kat noticed that something was very wrong with RIC. She then looked Sky right in the eyes, knowing that he must have said something that hurt RIC'S feelings. "What you say to him?"

"I told him to leave me along," Paranoid and frustrated, Sky didn't care at the moment just how bad his behavior was. "I've had about enough of him following me around like he's my shadow."

"You hurt his feelings, Sky. You should be ashamed of yourself." Kat just shook her head; and to think she had defended Sky to Cruger. "And to be quite frank, I can't see why he would want to be around you."

"He's just a machine." Sky rolled his eyes. "Last I checked machines don't feel anything."

"I'll let that comment slide."

"Why? I get in trouble for every other comment I make. Why let this one be any different?"

Kat just shook her head disappointedly. "Are you so angry at the world, that you have forgotten what today is?" When Sky made no attempt to answer she got right into his face. "Happy birthday Sky." And with that said she stormed off, leaving Sky blown away.

_Happy Birthday… _It was his birthday. He was seventeen years old. How could he have forgotten his own birthday? How could anyone forget the one day out of the year where it's their day to shine?

That did explain a few things, why both Eric and Hayley had been calling him all day, but he had never returned any of their calls. He didn't even listen to the several voice messages they had left him.

Was his birthday no longer important, had it become just another day to him? Clearly it must have; most of the birthdays he had after his seventh birthday were small and usually only consisted of his grandfather and Philips and occasionally a call from Eric. And he knew why, his father had died just a few days before his seventh birthday. _Ten years_, it had been ten years. His father had been gone for a decade. It didn't seem possible. He didn't want to believe that it had been that long. But it had been. His dad had missed the last ten years of his life.

His cell phone began to ring. He took it off his belt, it was Eric. For a moment he just let it ring a few times. Part of him didn't want to answer he, while the other part of him knew if he didn't the calls would just keep on coming. He might as well get it over with. "…Hey."


	40. New and Old Friends

"How'd it go?" asked Hayley, as she walked up to Eric.

"All right." He hung up the phone. "Not in the best of spirits, but considering it was only…" He couldn't even finish, as if he were afraid that it would bring it all back. It had been ten years, and it still just seemed like yesterday.

"Yeah." Hayley smiled. The door bell rang then and little Wesley started crying. "Can you get the door, it's probably Jenny's father, I'll go check on Wes." She kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Okay." Eric walked up to the door and opened it to let Jenny's father in. Jenny had had a play day with Erin, a new friend she had made at school. "Hey…" Eric stared into Jenny's father's face and something clicked inside his head.

Drake chuckled under his breath. "And Hayley said you wouldn't recognize me."

"You can change your hair style and grow a beard, but the one thing you can't really change is your eyes." Eric put out his hand. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah." He shook Eric's hand firmly. "It has been."

Eric led Drake, or Alex as he had called him all those years ago, into the living room where Erin and Jenny were watching TV with Megan. For a moment the two watched their daughters. It seemed almost unreal that the last time the two had been in the living room together, they had been playing video games. A lot had happened since then, a lot had changed.

Drake glanced around the room, it seemed almost the same. Everything was as he remembered it; the only difference was the pictures on the walls, but he still did find a few pictures of Wes and even Sky hanging there. He then focused on a family picture of Eric and Hayley and their three children. "You've been busy."

"Yeah." Eric stared over at Jenny; it didn't surprise him in the least that Drake had named his daughter after Jen. After all he had named his own son after Wes. Perhaps it only seemed fitting, both Wes and Jen had been important in their lives, even though at times they might not have seen eye to eye. "You too. Jenny tells me you've been teaching her karate. She showed me a few moves, she's pretty good."

"Yeah. She's a quick learner, just like her mother was."

Eric sighed. "I'm sorry." And he really was, Alex had been through so much already, had given up his life. He didn't deserve this.

"It's all right." He bit his lip. "How is he?"

Eric had known it wouldn't be long before he was asked that. After all, at one time Alex had been Sky's father, maybe not by blood, but by everything else. "Oh. Basically your average 'I hate the world' teenager."

"Stubborn, just like his mother."

"Actually I was thinking both. Wes could be pretty stubborn."

"Yeah." He smiled faintly. Part of him was sad, maybe even guilty, that the kind and loveable boy he had known and loved was just a memory, but he knew it was just a long road, and someday Sky would again find happiness.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Will Sky ever be able to know the truth?"

"I don't know." He wanted Sky to know the truth, but he also knew that could only cause more problems and pain to Sky. It maybe just too much for him to handle, his life had already been full of so much pain. "All I know is the kind of man he'll grow up to be."

"How do you mean?"

"What I mean is that Sky is actually an ancestor of Jen's mother." He watched as Eric's eyes widened. It seemed unreal, even impossible. "I was shocked myself when I read further into the history banks of Jen's ancestry. I didn't know it then, when I told Wes that Sky's last name would have to be Tate. But I had made history, Jen's mother's family had attended SPD and eventually Time Force, a generations sort of thing, leading all the way up to Jen's mother giving birth to Jen."

"It was meant to be, then."

"Yes. Wes and Jen were destined to meet and fall in love. Jen was meant to become pregnant by Wes. And Sky was meant to be brought here. If none of that had happened, Jen wouldn't even have existed." He still couldn't even begin to really believe it, even though he had read it over and over in the history banks. "Strange how things seem to work out."

"Yeah. Who would have thought?"

**A Week later….**

It was a new year. He was a senior, it would be his last year, but it also meant he would be moving up. He would be the squad leader in his team, for which Cruger had already chosen his teammates. They were younger than him: Sydney Drew, she was fifteen, and then Bridge Carson, who was going to end up being his roommate, was fourteen and a half, but he would be here for another couple of weeks.

"Okay, where is she," he muttered under his breath. Cruger had given him an assignment to meet up with Sydney when she and here father arrived, help her get settled in and show her around. He wasn't exactly thrilled. He could think of a lot of better things to do with his time.

He looked over the heads of several of the new cadets arriving in with their parents or guardians and then he spotted her. He had only seen a clipping of her picture from her enrolment papers. She had long blond curly hair and she was dressed like a million bucks, definitely not what he would consider SPD material. "Great, this is going to be a fun year. I get to play three bears, with Goldilocks," he muttered as he walked up to her and her father. "Hi, you must be Sydney Drew."

"Oh, you can call me Syd, everyone does." She smiled brightly and put out her hand.

"Okay, Syd." He shook her hand. He was surprised to find that she had a good grip, not something he would have suspected of a girl of her type. "I'm Sky Tate, your guide, as Commander Cruger would put it."

"Sky Tate." Gunther Drew glared at the young man for a long moment, almost sending shivers down Sky's back. "Ah yes, Sky Tate, you're Wes Collins' boy."

"Yes, I'm his son." Now that he thought about it, he did remember his grandfather and Philips talking about a Gunther Drew.

"Yes. Why is it again that your last name isn't Collins?"

"Gunther Drew, so nice to see you again," announced Cruger, as he walked up behind Sky, firmly placing his hand on Sky's shoulder.

"Yes. It's always a pleasure to see you too, Doggie Cruger." He smiled coolly.

"I'm sure it is." He had to force a smile, Gunther Drew was one of a few people who weren't on his favorite people's list. "Sky, why don't you show Syd to her room and show her around the academy."

"Sure. Come on, Syd."

"Bye, Daddy." Syd hugged her father and he kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Goodbye, princess, call you later tonight." Sky helped Syd with her bags and then the two were on their way.

"Collins' boy sure has grown up since last I saw him."

"I still can't understand why you even showed up."

"Cruger, Wes and I worked together, we were friends, it was only right I showed up for his funeral."

"My understanding was you only worked together that one time." Cruger glared at Gunther right in the eyes. "If you mess with Sky, you mess with me. And I'm sure I can get a hold of his guardian, and we both know how Mr. Myers can be."

Gunther then backed off and smiled. "Yes. Well, I'll be seeing you." He started to back away. "Just make sure to take care of my little girl."

"She'll do just fine here."

* * *

"Big room," Sky noted as he and Syd walked into her dorm. He placed her bags down on the unmade bed. It was rather larger than the dorm room he was in, not that he cared, but it was almost too big for just one person. He almost had to wonder if Cruger had someone in mind to stay in the dorm room with Syd. 

"Yes. My parents wanted to make sure I had the best dorm there is." She smiled as she began to unpack. She pulled out a stuffed animal and set it on her bed. "There you go, Peanuts, don't worry we'll have this place looking just like home in no time."

Sky had to laugh. "Aren't you a little old for stuffed animals?"

Syd got right into Sky's face, but found herself being a tad shorter than him. "You are never too old for stuffed animals." She grabbed Peanuts. "Now say you're sorry."

"You've got to be kidding me." He stared at her. He couldn't believe this, Cruger had stuck him with a girl who a living imitation of a Barbie doll. "You can't be serious. Come on, it's just a stuffed animal. Heck, RIC's more real than that piece of fluff."

"And who is RIC?"

RIC came barging in at the sound of his name, barking and wagging his tail. Sky rolled his eyes, he wasn't sure who was worse: Robo-dog, or Barbie Girl. "You had to ask."

Syd just looked at RIC as if she were disgusted or had no idea what he was for. "What's he supposed to be, the academy mascot? He's not even a real dog."

_Well, at least we agree on one thing_. BOOM. A loud bang of an explosion roared down the hall. RIC took off quicker than light, howling.

"And that?"

Sky sighed and started out of Syd's room. "That would be Boom."

Sky followed quickly behind him. "What's a Boom?"

Sky entered into the lab, now covered in smoke and bits and pieces of parts of gadgets were lying all over the place. It looked like a tornado had rolled right in, a tornado named Boom, that is. "Boom!"

"Ah!" Boom jumped about six feet in the air, his heart racing. "Sky! Oh, it's you." He laughed softly, trying to get all the jumpiness and jittering out of his voice. He then saw a new face. "Oh, hi!" His voice softened to a kind, gentle voice.

"Hi," smiled Syd, getting ready to go up to him, but Sky pulled her back and stepped forward.

"I want this place to be spotless, otherwise..." He glared at Boom right in the eyes. "Cruger's going to hear about it. Got it?"

"Got it." Sky looked at him sharply. "Si-sir."

"Good." Sky then gently pulled Syd out of the lab. He looked over his shoulder. "RIC, help Boom clean up."

"A little bossy, aren't we?" asked Syd as they walked down the hall.

"Boom is a menace. The only reason he's even still here, is because Cruger felt sorry for him."

"That's a little cold isn't it?"

He just glared at her. "Do you always ask twenty questions to every new person you meet?"

"You must be a fun person to get along with in the morning."

"Great, not only are you a prima donna, but you're sarcastic too," he muttered as he walked down the hall. "This is going to be an interesting year."

* * *

It had only been a little over a week and Sky was beginning to see that there was more to Syd than meets the eye. Sure, she was her daddy's little princess, but she definitely wasn't the type of girl who couldn't handle herself. She was an amazing fighter, even if at times her sense of direction was off, but in the end she always came up on top. 

"Again," instructed Sky, ordering Syd to attack him again.

"Come on Sky, we've been at this all morning." She gave him a smile. "Can't we take a break, just for a little bit, we can go play light ball."

"No. In less than eight weeks we'll be testing to make B squad. We have to be ready." He got into a fighting stance. "Now let's go at it again."

Sydney sighed; she didn't know what it was. One day he could be the sweetest guy in the world and the next day he could be your worst nightmare. She got back into a fighting stance and the two began to do their drill all over again.

"She's not too bad of a fighter," announced Kat as she and Cruger watched from a distance as Sky and Syd trained together.

"No, she isn't. With a little work, she could become one of the best female fighters here, not bad for her age."

"And she has a good teacher, even if he is a stubborn workaholic."

"Maybe a little of Syd will rub off on Sky."

"We can only hope; we don't need to have two stubborn, all work and no play men around here. One's enough."

* * *

"Conner." Hayley wrapped her arms around him as he walked into the entrance of their home. "It's so good to see you. It seems like forever since we last saw you." 

"It's good to see you too." Conner pulled away, so he could introduce his rather large family: his wife Jena and his two ten-year-old step-sons, Jeff and Jerrod. And then their five-year-old twins, Erica and Walker.

"Quite a bunch you have there, McKnight," announced Eric as he came down the stairs holding three year old Wes in his arms. "Just couldn't help yourself could you?" Conner and Jena married, just a few months after he had meant the boys at his soccer camp in 2012. It was love a first sight as he would call it. Soon after they found out she was pregnant with twins, and five years later she was pregnant again.

"Well." He grinned and wrapped his arms around Jena, who was six months pregnant. "I just had to do one better than you."

"Oh no. We are not going to have this start all over again," Hayley complained.

"Oh, come on, honey," grinned Eric. "You know you like it when Conner and I compete."

Hayley sighed. "Come on, Jena, I'll show you into the living room."

"Thank you."

Megan and Erin came running down the stairs. "Hey, you guys want to play video games? We got enough controllers for everyone!" asked Megan.

"Can we, Dad?" asked Jerrod

"Yeah please, Daddy," begged Walker.

"Sure, why not?"

"Yeah!" replied Jeff, as he and his brothers and sister followed Megan and Erin up the stairs.

"So this little guy must be Wes."

"Yeah. I'm three." He held up four fingers.

Both Eric and Conner grinned. "Why don't you go watch the kids play." Eric set Wes down on the floor.

"Okay." Wes ran up the stairs.

"Cute kid."

"Yeah he is. So you want a beer or something?"

"Sure," answered Conner as he followed Eric into the kitchen. "Thanks."

Eric took a sip of his drink. "So I've heard that the soccer program is really picking up."

"Yeah. It's been doing great. We could use a few sponsors, if you're interested."

"I'm sure we can work something out."

Both Walker and Erin came flying into the kitchen. "Dad, is it okay if Walker and I go play on the swing set?"

"Okay with you?"

"Fine with me."

"Yeah!" both of them said.

"Come on Walker, it's this way." Erin led Walker to the back door.

Conner grinned and couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, I was just thinking, wouldn't it be something if my son and your daughter hooked up when they're older."

"Just what I need, to be related to a McKnight." He laughed, but it was way too soon to tell. Erin was a few years older then Walker and had just met, they still had a long ways to go before they would be old enough to date.

"So how has Dr. O been?" He saw Eric give him a weird look. "Yes I know. I'm not in high school anymore. It just seems weird to call him Tommy."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I never could find it easy calling Mr. Collins by his first name, even when he insisted."

"I guess old habits die hard."

"Yeah." Eric finished off his drink. "Tommy's been doing well. Right now he's in Florida visiting Kim."

"Kim, wasn't that-"

"Yeah. Last week he got a call from her, her husband Pete was in a water-skiing accident. He's in a coma, it's not looking good. He wouldn't have gone, but Pete's parents are dead and Kim's mom was in Paris and couldn't get there until four days after the accident."

"Man, that sucks."

"Yeah."

"You don't think-"

He knew right away what Conner was thinking. "No, he wouldn't do that. He and Kim are friends. He's just there for support."

"Yeah." Conner finished off his drink. "So how's Sky doing?"

"He's been doing okay. He likes it over there at the academy."

"He always was determined to become a ranger, just like his dad."

"Yeah." Eric sighed. "Come on, we better go join the girls before they start to wonder where we went off to."

"Right." Conner started to follow Eric, but then stopped dead in his tracks as if something had overcome him, when he saw a picture of Sky in his SPD uniform hanging on the wall.

"You okay?" asked Eric.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?" asked Eric, a little confused.

"I don't, I - ah - did you ever feel like something happened, but didn't happen?"

"Run that by me again?"

"It's weird. I haven't seen Sky since he was like five, and looking at that picture, for some reason I feel like I have seen him. And Ethan and Kira were there too. And we were at the academy and there was a big blue dog. And Sky was the blue ranger." Conner shook his head. "Nah, probably just dreamed it." He started walked into the living room.

Eric looked at the picture and then back to Conner, and he had to wonder. Was it possible that at one time Conner and the others had in fact been at the academy, but had forgotten or had their memories erased? He did recall Alex talking about memory adaptation and if SPD would one day become Time Force, it could very well be possible that Conner might not have been dreaming. He could never know for sure, at least not until Sky became a ranger. The question was, would Sky become the red, or as Conner has predicted, the blue ranger?

"Eric, you going to come join us?" called out Hayley.

"Coming."


	41. The Three Musketeers

**_Note:_** _Just to clear something up with the ages: Megan is 10, as is Jarrod and Jeff. Jenny is seven and is in the same grade as Erin who is eight. Walker and Erica are five and little Wes is three and a half. I have gone back to the last two chapters and cleared that all up. I kept on mixing up Megan and Erin_'_s ages_.

* * *

"Do you ever think about trying to find them?" asked Z as she and Jack walked through the junkyard, searching for anything that might be of some use to them. 

"Find who?" asked Jack, as he went climbed into a beat-up old van.

"Your parents, silly."

Jack didn't seem to be paying too much attention to what Z was saying. He was too involved in getting the van to start. He searched the floor mat for a key.

"Jack? Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes! Yeah baby!" Jack grinned. He picked the key up and tried to start the van up. "Come on girl, you can do it." The van started to make a rumbling noise like it was getting ready to start and then it came to a stop, complete silence. "Dang!" Jack hit the dashboard and jumped out of the van and opened the hood. "Now let's see..."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" asked Z as she leaned over his shoulder.

Jack made a few adjustments. "Only one way to find out." He closed the hood and hopped back into the van, trying to start the engine once again. This time it started and remained running. "Guess I got the magic touch. Come on and hop in, Z, we got some wheels now."

Z just shook her head and got into the passenger seat. "Do you know how to drive?"

"Sure I do."

"I mean other than at the arcade."

"Oh, come on Z, have a little faith. Besides how hard could it be?"

She quickly put on her seat belt. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"You worry too much." He put the van in drive and the two were on their way. He ran into a fence. Jack looked at her and smirked. "Don't even say it."

She grinned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, I wasn't going to say anything."

"Sure you weren't." He laughed as he backed away from the fence and drove on out of the junkyard.

* * *

"Oh, where is he?" Syd walked through the halls of the academy, out on the prowl looking for Sky. She hadn't seen him since their morning workout; after they were finished he had just gotten up and left without saying goodbye or where he was headed. She then spotted Boom who was a few feet ahead of her carrying a large amount of equipment in his hand. "Hey Boom." 

"Ah!" Boom about jumped and came close to dropping everything. "Oh Syd, you startled me." He took a deep breath, as if relieved it wasn't Sky.

"Sorry. Have you seen Sky? I can't find him anywhere; we're supposed to meet with Commander Cruger in less than an hour to meet a new Cadet who's being placed in our squad."

"Sorry, haven't seen him anywhere."

"Oh." She smiled faintly. "Thanks anyways."

"Anytime." He walked past her, heading down the hall towards the direction of the lab. "Oh, but I might make a suggestion: look in the SPD Academy's Memorial Chamber."

She looked at him, confused. "But isn't that the place where they honor fallen officers?" What would Sky be doing there?

Syd headed down the hall toward the SPD Academy's Antiquity; she had never been in the room, only heard of it. It was supposed to be a great honor for any officer to become part of the antiquity. She was only a few feet away from the room when she spotted Sky, who had just walked out of the room, but headed in a different direction. "Sky," she called after him, but he never heard her. "Great," she muttered. As she came up to the door she looked down the hall, but Sky was gone.

Curious as to why Sky would have gone into the room, she walked inside. No one else was inside, but the moment she stepped in she felt overwhelmed with a great honor. The room was filled with pictures and medals of fallen officers. She saw a picture of Andros and his team. She remembered her mother telling her stories of how one day when the Earth was under attack Andros and the others saved the Earth and so much more.

She then saw a picture of Dashel Jackson the third, who had just recently been placed in the antiquity. She had never met him, only heard stories about him from some of the older cadets. She was getting ready to head out when another picture caught her eye, of a blond-haired young man who looked very familiar to her. Who was he, why did he look so familiar to her? The more she looked at it, the more she felt like she knew him from somewhere.

"That's Commander Wesley Collins, one of the greatest rangers this academy had ever seen," announced Kat as she walked up behind Syd.

"He looks so familiar to me." She turned to Kat. "But I don't think I ever met him."

"No, but you do know his son."

"His son?" she looked at Kat, confused.

"Yes, Sky."

"Sky?" How could that be? They have different last names."

"Yes. It's complicated, but Wes Collins was Sky's father."

Syd turned back and looked at the picture. She began to look deeper and deeper into it, and she was soon able to see Sky through the picture, there was no doubt in her mind that this man was indeed Sky's father. "So that's why he tries so hard." She turned back to Kat. "He wants to be like his dad." It all began to make sense to her, why Sky was the way he was.

* * *

"Syd, good, there you are." Sky walked into the lobby and found Syd sitting on one of the couches. "Come on, Commander Cruger is waiting for us." 

On their way out of the lobby, "Hey Sky, there's something I want to talk about with you."

"It'll have to wait until later," he replied as they headed down to the lower level of the Academy's front doors, where Commander Cruger was waiting for them, along with a man and woman and a young boy about 14 or so: Bridge no doubt, the Carsons' only son.

"Good, you made it." Cruger signaled them over and began to introduce them. "Colin, Beth and Bridge, this is Schuyler Tate and Sydney Drew."

Both Beth and Colin stared at two faces which looked so familiar to them; it was almost like seeing both Wes and Gunther all over again. It had been years since they last spoke to Gunther. They had stayed in contact with Wes's father up until his death and now were face to face with his son.

"It's nice to meet you both." Colin smiled.

"Bridge, say hello to your new friends," encouraged his mother.

"Hi, I'm Bridge." Bridge held out his hand; both Sky and Syd couldn't help but notice that he was wearing gloves. Why was that, it wasn't cold? And if there was something wrong with his hands, it was unlikely he would be permitted into the academy due to the strong involvement of hand techniques.

"Sky. Nice to meet you."

"You can call me Syd." She smiled brightly at him.

"It's nice to meet you both."

Cruger sat in one of the lobbies with Bridge's parents. This had only been about the second time they had met in person; the first was almost ten years ago, since then they only kept in contact by phone calls.

"Have his abilities progressed, since last we talked?"

"No. Everything has been the same. You were right; the gloves did help control his ability."

Cruger nodded his head. "Perhaps one day he won't need to wear the gloves. I will do everything in my power to see that it happens."

"Thank you Commander Cruger, but even if you can't, he'll always be our son. We won't love him any differently," replied Beth.

"He's very lucky to have you."

Beth smiled and Colin wrapped his arm around her. "Sky sure has grown up. He looks so much like his father." Colin eyed Cruger right in the eyes. "How has he been doing?" He knew it couldn't be easy for Sky, losing his father, his entire family. He only knew small details about how Sky came to be, all he knew is that it somehow involved the Time Force rangers who had protected Silver Hills sixteen years ago.

"He's one of the best cadets I've ever seen. His behavior and attitude could use an adjustment, but other than that he fits in quite well here."

* * *

"And this is the break room." Sky showed Bridge into the room, along with Syd. "You can kick back and take it easy." 

"Otherwise meaning, if you're looking for Sky this is the last place to look," grinned Syd. Sky gave her a sharp look. "What?" She looked at him innocently. "It's true."

Sky rolled his eyes. He didn't know what it was, but Syd kept on pushing all his buttons, till the point that it drove him crazy. He pulled Bridge out of the break room. "Come on Bridge, one more place to show you."

They walked into the lab. "This is the lab, where all the weapons and programs are made."

"Wow. This place is cool. Way better then my lab back at home." Bridge walked around all wide-eyed, as he looked at the super computers and new weapons being made. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Syd walked up to Sky and nudged him. "It's like taking a kid to a candy store."

Sky just groaned and rolled his eyes and walked away from her. "Come on Bridge, we should-"

"RUFF!" RIC came flying in and ran right up to Bridge.

"Wah! Who's this?" Bridge got down on his knees and patted RIC on the head.

Replied Sky, "That would be RIC, he's-"

"He's awesome. A robo-dog, cool." Bridge stood up. "I bet you're real easy to clean up after. Huh, boy?" RIC replied with a bark and wagged his tail.

"Okay. Come on, we should start to head back," announced Sky.

"See yah around, RIC," waved Bridge.

* * *

"So you all set?" asked Colin as he and his wife stood in front of their son saying their goodbyes. 

"Yeah, I think I'm going to do just fine here. This place is great!"

"Good," smiled his mother. She wrapped her arms around Bridge. "Oh, my little boy is growing up!" She kissed his cheek.

"Mom!" Bridge sighed and then hugged his mother again and kissed her gently on the cheek. He then hugged his father and shared a few words with him.

Sky stood back watching, as the Carsons said their goodbyes to their son. In some ways he envied what Bridge had. His parents were alive and well, and you could tell just by watching them that they loved Bridge very much. It brought an aching in his heart, knowing he didn't have what Bridge had; both his parents had died when he was very little. He had no family… _Eric_…but, it wasn't the same.

"You okay?" asked Syd who had glanced over at Sky, as if being able to see right through him, that something was wrong.

He turned to her, staring at her blankly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you just seem..."

"Just seem what?"

Syd sighed. In the short time she had come to know Sky, she realized that he wasn't one to talk about what he was feeling. He would put up a front and act as though everything was fine. "It's nothing. Just forget about it." She smiled faintly and turned down the hall to head towards her dorm.

**A few hours later….**

Sky watched as Bridge unpacked, and for a moment felt a surge of anger, because now it made it the all more real that Dru wasn't coming back. They would never again be roommates, but then with one look at Bridge's boyish childlike face, he couldn't be angry or hold it against Bridge. It wasn't his fault Dru was transferred and no longer his roommate.

"Need some help?"

"No. I got everything. Thanks though," replied Bridge as he set his books out on his shelf and pulled his computer out of a box and set it out on his desk.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"The gloves?" He turned to face Sky. "I get asked that a lot."

"Sorry. I didn't mean... If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."

"No. It's all right." Bridge sat down on his bed. "If we're going to be roommates and teammates, I probably should tell you."

"Okay." Sky sat down on his bed so he was face to face with Bridge.

Bridge fiddled with his hands. "Something happens when I touch people." He turned away from Sky, almost as if he was afraid he would be rejected, like by so many others. "I see things."

"What kind of things?"

"The past." He turned back to Sky. "Sometimes the future."

"How long have you-?"

"I was born this way. At least that's what my parents told me, but no one in my family has this ability."

Sky nodded his head. "Oh. So you wear the gloves to sort of control it?"

"Basically." Bridge was surprised that Sky seemed to be taking this so well. Most of the others he had told either laughed at him or called him a freak of nature. "You're not weirded out by this?"

"Why would I be?" Sky hopped all the way on his bed and lay down. "I was born messed up too."

"You can see people's past too?"

"No. I can create shields with my hands." Sky stared up at the ceiling and began creating a shield with his hand.

"Wow. Neat," Bridge watched in amazement. "Can your parents do that too?"

"My parents are dead," replied Sky as he took the shield down and rolled over on his side so his back was facing Bridge.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Forget about it. It was a long time ago."


	42. Out Of Place

It had been months now since they had met each other, and each day their trust in each other was growing, even though at times Sky kept both Bridge and Syd at a distance. Whether it was because of the age difference or whether he was afraid to get close to them, only to lose them like he had lost Dru, he didn't know. Or maybe it was both.

But he couldn't help but like them both, even though Syd drove him crazy and Bridge could be a little weird part of or sometimes all the time. Despite all that he could tell they were working hard to keep up with him. And he had a feeling it wouldn't be long before they would be moved up to B squad. It was just one step closer to A squad, and just maybe the day would come when he would be chosen as red ranger, like his father. He just had to keep working hard and he knew it wouldn't be long until he would follow in his father's footsteps.

They were all sitting in the lounge room, after a long day of classes and work outs; it has been an exhausting day for all of them.

"Man, I feel like I could sleep for a week." Syd yawned as she stretched out her arms and legs.

"I know what you mean. One time I actually slept for a week. You see I was real sick; I went to go to sleep and the next thing I remember I woke up and it was a week later," announced Bridge.

Sky just rolled his eyes and turned back to his book. He half-thought about responding, but knew Bridge would only answer with some out of the world response that would only bring on more questions and he really wasn't in the mood for any headaches.

"Hey guys, I've been thinking. Don't you think it's odd that we got paired up together? I mean with the big age difference and stuff. Sky's like three years older."

Syd smiled and turned to Sky. "Well, that's because Sky was just lucky to end up with us as his teammates." Sky pretended like he wasn't even listening and continued to read his book.

"Or maybe it's because Sky and I have these powers."

That did it. "Here we go again." Sky closed his book. Ever since he had told Bridge about his powers Bridge had insisted that somehow they might all be connected in some way. "Bridge, we've been over this-"

"Wait!" Syd looked at both of them with a surprised, shocked look on her face. "Wait, you guys have powers?"

"Yeah," replied Bridge.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Don't worry about it." Sky stood up and patted her on the shoulder. "We didn't want you to freak out or anything."

"Freak out. You thought I would freak out." She looked Sky right in the eyes. "Oh, I see, just because I'm a girl you thought I couldn't handle it."

"Well, actually he said-"

"Bridge!" yelled Sky. "Look, I really didn't think it was a big deal, and that there was no reason to tell you."

"Not a big deal. We're teammates, we're supposed to trust each other, and you can't even tell me this?"

She did have a point, but to tell the truth he was too tired to even continue arguing. "Okay. Okay. Sorry, we should have told you." He looked her right in the eyes. "Happy?"

Syd just shook her head. She couldn't believe how pig-headed, okay she could believe it, but she thought that since he was her friend and teammate that that meant something, but maybe she was wrong. "If you would have told me right off the bat, I could have told you I have powers too!" With that said she stormed off, bumping right into his shoulder.

"So we all have powers. Interesting."

Sky just shook his head and started after Syd. "Syd, wait."

"Why should I? You clearly didn't think enough of me to tell me that you have powers, that both you and Bridge have them."

"And why didn't you tell us? Trust is a two way street."

She turned around and faced him. "Do you have any idea how it feels to tell someone your deepest, darkest secrets? Most of the kids at my old school were only my friends because of my family's money. If it wasn't for that, I would be freak-girl to them. This is not just something you say out of the blue."

And again she was right. He had only told Bridge after Bridge had told him why he wore gloves on his hands all the time. Syd was right, it wasn't just something you could say to anyone, you had to feel like you could, feel that you could trust them to understand. And that was all Syd was looking for, that they were all looking for. He sighed heavily. "You're right." He walked up to her and put out his hand. "Friends?"

Although she was fully sure that Sky didn't quite know the full meaning of friendship, she could tell he was trying. She smiled faintly at him. "Friends."

"How 'bout I walk you back to your room and you can tell me all about your powers?"

"I'd like that."

"Hey, wait for me!" called out Bridge as he ran after them.

* * *

**Few Week Later...**

"Man, did you see that?" exclaimed Bridge as he, Syd, Sky and other cadets watched the TV picture of the A squad rangers' last battle. They had saved the city once again from an attack, for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I hope that someday I'm just as good as they are."

"Yeah. And those uniforms aren't too shabby either," replied Syd. "What do you think, Sky?" asked Syd as she turned around, only to find that Sky was no longer behind her. "Where'd he go?" She looked around and then looked straight ahead, seeing Sky walk out of the lobby.

"Where do you suppose he's going?" asked Bridge.

"I have an idea, come on."

Just watching the battle footage made it the all more clear that that was what he wanted someday. To be a ranger, the red ranger preferably, like his father had been. He wanted to fight battles, stop criminals, and save the city from destruction. "Someday, Dad, that'll be me, fighting out there. And I promise, I'll be everything you were." Sky sat down on the bench, looking up at his father's picture that hung on the wall, surrounded by medals of honor.

Bridge and Syd stood outside the SPD Academy's Memorial Chamber, watching as Sky vowed that he would become the ranger his father had been, that he would work hard each day for the rest of his life to make his father proud.

"So Sky's dad was the ranger who died all those years ago? I kind of remember my parents talking about it."

"Me too," replied Syd softly, trying to keep her voice down so that Sky wouldn't know that they were watching him. Bridge started to remove his glove from his hand. "What are you doing?"

Bridge waved his hand around and saw flashes of different colors and then began to feel what they meant. "He's lonely."

Syd saw Sky start to get up. She quickly grabbed Bridge by the arm and dragged him back into a corner. They watched as Sky stepped out of the room, and almost as if he sensed he wasn't alone, he looked around but saw no one. Believing no one was there he continued on his way.

Once Sky was far enough down the hall, Syd and Bridge came out of hiding. "Did you feel anything else?"

"I felt that deep down he really is a good guy and that he likes us."

"Has a heck of a way showing it."

* * *

"_You're going to like it here, Sam. And we're just a couple of hours away from your dad." Samantha was a single mother as she knelt down in front of her five year old son. They had just moved to New_ _Tech_ _City, after her marriage of ten years had failed. She had decided that she and her son needed a new start. "He'll visit."_

_The little boy looked up at his mother sadly, already knowing the real truth. "No, he won't." He looked down at his feet. "He thinks I'm a freak. I heard him say that he doesn't think of me as his son."_

_That had been one of the reasons why she had divorced her husband. Things were great in the beginning of their marriage, but after Sam was born was when things started a turn for the worse. Sam had been born different, but he appeared to be fine; he looked just as normal as any other baby. But as he got older, they soon began to see that Sam was no ordinary baby. Somehow he had developed a power to make things disappear and on a few occasion he had made himself invisible; that was how he had learned the truth about how his father really felt about him._

_She wrapped her arms tightly around her son. She hated that the man she had once, and still partly loved, could be so cruel. How could anyone say that about their own child, their own flesh and blood? She didn't care if her son was different, if he would never be normal, she loved him more than anything and would do everything in her power to give him the most normal life she possibly could. "I love you, Sam. You know that, right, no matter what happens I will always love you."_

"_I love you too," he answered. It was only when he was with her that he felt safe, she was his everything, his best friend, his only love, she was his mother. _

Sam sighed heavily as he sat in the office of social services, listening as a woman spoke on the phone to his father, a man he had not seen for the last four years. It had been two weeks since his mother had died. It had been a train accident, it had derailed, hundreds had died. But he still couldn't believe it; life had been going good for them. She had been saving money so that they could buy a house and move out of their rundown apartment building, and now he felt his life falling to pieces. He didn't know what would happen to him. All he wanted to do was go home and pretend that none of this had ever happened, but he couldn't go home, to his old room, his mother was gone and she wasn't coming back. He sighed heavily as he listened to the conversation. It had taken them over a week to track down the whereabouts of his father. He had tried to tell the lady that his father didn't want him and that there was no point in calling him, but she had assured him that everything would be fine. If only it were true…

"But sir, you are the boy's father. He needs you," exclaimed the woman over the phone.

"_Let me make this clear to you, lady. I have no son. I don't know what you have in your office, but it sure as hell is not my son!"_

The woman heard the line go dead. "Sir?" But there was no answer. She gently placed the phone down and turned to Sam, now realizing the boy was right; his father didn't want him. What would happen now? Sam was a nine-year-old boy, it was difficult finding a family that would take in an older child. Most people wanted babies. This was the part when she hated her job, having to move a child from one group home to another. What kind of life was that? A child shouldn't be moved around like it was a piece of mail. "Come on Sam, we've got to go." She held out her hand to him and led him out of the room, just hoping that someone out there would care enough to take the sweet red-haired boy in.

"Okay," he answered softly.

* * *

Commander Cruger woke up in a fright. His heart was racing, but as he looked around the command base he realized it had only been a dream, he was safe and sound on Earth, at the SPD Academy. Every night when he closed his eyes he felt the scars of his past return to him.

He pulled a torn photo out of his jacket. It was of his wife, Andros, Ashley and their little girl Mora. He gently ran his finger over his wife's face. He still couldn't believe after all these years that she was gone. His eyes then fell on the baby, who had been once so pure, who now had turned to a darkened pawn and was in the hands of Gruumm. He had tried to track down the child, but Gruumm always kept hiding her and changing her. He could no longer feel her presence.

"You can't keep blaming yourself. It isn't healthy," announced Kat as she walked into the command base, like she did so many nights, to check up on Cruger.

"Do you know she would be eleven today?" Cruger stared down at the photo, trying to picture what Mora would look like today. "I bet she would look just like her mother."

"Doggie," started Kat; she had become concerned. She had thought the guilt would go away after a few years, but it still remained. He had not yet been able to forgive himself for what had happened.

He looked up and sighed. "I know, Kat, it's been years."

"You want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No. I'm fine." He smiled faintly. "You go on back to bed. Get some rest."

"All right." She smiled.

Once she was gone he looked back at the photo. No one else knew the truth - that Mora was very much alive and in the hands of Gruumm. Cruger had carried that ever since Kinwon had died three years before, taking with him the knowledge of what became of the child of Andros and Ashley, the red and yellow space rangers.

There were days when Cruger wondered if he should tell the grandparents of Mora. It would be hard to tell them the truth, that their granddaughter was no longer innocent, that her pureness had been stripped from her, that she now was in the hands of a monster using her for his own game. That she had been responsible for the deaths of Zhane and Karone, and so many others. It would be a hard thing to put on anyone. Part of him believed it would be better if they didn't know the truth, because the truth would hurt more than the lie.

* * *

Little Mora, the little girl who had once been the daughter of Andros and Ashley, no longer carried the memories of her past. She didn't even know she was human. All she had been told was that humans had killed her parents and all she had left was a doll that was falling to pieces, a doll she called Susie Sunshine. Her true age was unknown to her, she had been changed so much, but no matter what age they changed her to she still would have the mind of a child.

She used to ask Gruumm about her parents, asking what they looked like, whether she looked like them, but he would never tell her anything, only would say that she had been found alone. But there were times at night when she would dream and she would see faces that she couldn't quite make out, but believed that they were faces that she had known, that just maybe these faces might be her parents, but she would never know for sure.

She had been with Gruumm for years now. He had raised her and showed her how to develop the powers she held. Whatever she drew would come to life, and Gruumm promised her that one day she would be able to use her creations to destroy the ones responsible for killing her parents.

"Someday, Susie Sunshine will make all those bad humans pay for what they did to Mommy and Daddy," announced Mora as she danced around in her room, not even aware that ever since she had met Gruumm she had been fed lies about her life, who she was, where she came from, and even the greater lie, that the very people she had been raised to hate were the very thing that was a part of her.

Only if she knew the truth about her past, but Gruumm would never speak of it and the other had no way of telling her, frozen in time, showing the scars of the past, she could not speak, only stare at the little girl with the one button eye.


	43. Missing In Action

…_2019_

They had been together for two years. Had trained hard each and every day, with their trust in each other growing. They knew each other's moves and even each other's faults, although Sky would swear he had none, but both Syd and Bridge knew all too well that even the son of the former red ranger had faults, even if he himself didn't know what they were.

It had only been about a year since they all made B squad, although there were other B squad members. The three of them were usually separate from the others, as if Cruger had other plans for them. At least that was what Bridge would keep on insisting, but Sky would just blow it off and say it was just a coincidence that they all had powers and became teammates. Even Syd, too, had to agree with Sky, it just didn't seem possible, although at times she too had to wonder. How had they gotten these powers? As far as she knew she had had them ever since she was little. And how had it come to be that she wound up here? She hadn't been the one to press the idea of switching schools, although she didn't object to it either. She didn't have any real friends at her old school, but here no one seemed to care that she was different, especially Bridge and Sky.

Syd walked into the lab and found Boom and Bridge working on a computer, or taking it apart was what it looked like to her. She just had to laugh to herself watching the two, as if they had been friends for many years and not just for a couple of years. But it really didn't surprise her too much; both were really into computers and science. And at times, maybe most of the time, both could be really weird and half the time she didn't get what they were doing. But despite all that, she really did think they were both great guys, even if Boom was a klutz and Bridge was a little immature.

"So what are you guys doing?"

"Working on a new computer program," answered Boom, as he looked over the paperwork.

"Yeah. You should check this out, Syd. It's an upgraded version of the security system program we already had."

"Yeah. This Ethan James is a really smart guy," added Boom, as he made a few adjustments to the small computer they were updating for test purposes.

"Ethan James, why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Well, he has put down Bill Gates and all other competing computer companies," replied Bridge.

Syd just shook her head. Every other word out of either Boom's or Bridge's mouth had something to do with computers. "No, that's not it."

"Hmm. Let me think." Bridge set his tools and papers down on the table and stood on his head.

"Bridge, what are you doing?" If she had thought he was weird before, she really thought it now.

"Oh, that's how he thinks," answered Boom.

"Remind me not to play twenty questions with him."

"I got it!" Bridge got back on his feet. "He was a power ranger once, back in 2005."

"That's right. He and his classmates, Conner McKnight, Kira Ford and Trent Fernadez."

Boom looked up from his work. "Kira Ford? Isn't she that pop singer that married Trent Fernadez?"

"Yeah. I used to listen to her music all the time when I was little. I even got her autograph."

"Hey, wasn't their teacher a power ranger, too?" asked Bridge.

Syd looked at him with a blank look on her face. "Don't look at me. History is not one of my favorite subjects."

Boom stood up. "Hey, you know I think you're right." He scratched his head. "What was his name again?"

"Hmm. Let's see." Bridge got back down on his hands.

"Sorry I asked." She walked out of the room, not being able to handle another Boom and Bridge moment. There were days she felt the two shared one brain and this was one of those days.

RIC walked up to Bridge and barked. Bridge looked right at RIC and noticed that something was on RIC's computing screen. It was two words, but he was having a little trouble reading it backwards. "Ah um Yommt ah…" RIC finally turned around the other way.

"I got it!" Boom yelled. Startled, Bridge fell down. "Tommy Oliver."

Bridge pushed himself up and looked at RIC. He saw 'Tommy Oliver' displayed on the screen. "Yep, that's right. Syd, did you…" He looked around but Syd was nowhere in sight. "Where'd she go?"

Boom just shrugged his shoulders, having no clue as to where and when Syd had taken off.

* * *

Sky was sitting in the control room along with other cadets and radar operatives. Since he was nineteen and had graduated with high honors from the academy, he had been assigned extra duties outside his training sessions with Syd and Bridge, such as doing a year of operative work, scanning the solar system and surrounding planets and keeping in contact with SPD officers out on missions.

He found the job tiring at times, wishing that he himself was one of the officers out on missions. He had even signed up for several missions, but every time Cruger turned him down, saying he was needed here. Sky was starting to get frustrated with himself and Cruger, feeling that his talents were being wasted on useless tactics. He was one of the best fighters at the academy and worked harder than most of the A squad cadets did.

Sky sighed and ran his hand down his face as he stared at the clock. Thank God he only had an hour of this left and then he could do something that was a little more intriguing. "Just an hour of this shit and then I can get out of here."

"Not really your thing, is it?" asked Eliot, one of the regular operatives.

"No."

"More of a hands-on sort of guy, huh? How much longer do you have to go?"

"Six months," mumbled Sky.

The older man grinned and patted Sky on the back. "That's not too bad. It'll be over before you know it."

"Yeah," Sky muttered. "Just once I'd like for something big to happen."

Eliot turned to his screen and saw a red alert blinking on and off. "Looks like you got your wish, kid." The man pressed a switch. "Go ahead, Nebula five hundred; this is C-SPD Base."

"_This is Officer Harrington…" _

Sky almost felt his heart stop, that voice, the name, it had to be. "Dru…"

"Harrington, you're breaking up. What is your status?"

"_I've lost sight of my team. We were separated after an attack by….."_

"Officer Harrington, you're breaking up, please repeat. What is your location? I cannot get a lock on your whereabouts, please repeat."

"_I'm……"_

"Officer Harrington?"

Sky quickly grabbed the radio out of Eliot's hands. "Dru, come on, report!"

"_Sky?..."_

"Dru, what is your location, respond." No answer. "Dru, come in, this is Sky, over." Still no answer. "Dru?" The radio went dead.

"We lost him." Eliot tried to pick up on the connection again, but his attempts to reach Dru's signal failed. "I can't get a lock on his signal."

"You have to try again!" demanded Sky.

"I have. Wherever he is, something is blocking his signal."

"Dammit!" Sky slammed the radio down. He couldn't believe this, all of this equipment and they couldn't even get a lock on where Dru was or whether he was all right. It had been years since he had heard from Dru. They had promised each other that one day they would see each other again, and now he didn't even know where his friend was or whether he was all right.

"I'll have to report him as MIA if he doesn't report within the next twenty-four hours." Eliot could tell how upset Sky was over this. "Why don't we call it a night? There's not much we can do now except wait; if I hear anything you'll be the first person I notify." He gripped Sky's shoulder.

Sky smiled faintly. "Thanks."

Once Sky was out of sight, Eliot quickly grabbed the radio and typed in a sequence of numbers. "Commander Cruger, I have encountered vital information that I think you should hear," announced Eliot as he switched the screen back to where Dru's signal was being picked up. His signal was way off course.

* * *

Sky plopped down on his bed, not even acknowledging that Bridge was in the room.

"You're in early," announced Bridge, looking at the clock. It was highly unusual for Sky to skip out on any of his daily duties.

"Yeah, something came up," responded Sky, really not in the mood for any sort of conversational moves, especially when it came to Bridge, who would talk all day and night if he could.

"Oh. Anything big?"

"No. It's nothing." Sky got off his bed. "I'm going to take a shower. Later." He walked out of the room and headed towards the locker rooms before Bridge could even say goodbye.

* * *

"Are you positive?" asked Cruger as he spoke into the radio.

"_Yes sir, three days ago Officer Harrington was supposed to report to our base on Mirinoi and pick up extra equipment for his assignment. He never showed," _answered Mike Corbet, who recently became the leading Commander of SPD on Mirinoi.

"I see. Was anyone else assigned with him?"

"_Yes, Cadet Jones was assigned along with him." _Mikes voice became grim. "_Sir, my brother Leo was out on a routine search. He found an abandoned SPD docking ship. Sir..." _Mike bit his lip. "_Jones was dead; it was an SPD blaster."_

Cruger felt his worst fears had come true. All along he had hoped he had been wrong about Dru, but according to what Mike had told him, it looked all the more clear that Dru had abandoned his loyalty to SPD. "Was anything missing?"

"_Several weapons and a one-man ship were discovered missing."_

"Has anyone spotted the ship, any of your scouters?"

"_No. I'm sorry sir. I know Officer Harrington used to be one of your cadets, one of the best, I heard."_

"Yes. He was." Cruger sighed heavily. "If you hear anything, anything at all, please contact me."

"_Of course, sir._ _Corbet out."

* * *

_

"How'd he take it?" asked Leo as he walked into the command base. Mike set the radio down and turned around to face his little brother. "All right. It's never easy telling someone one of their own has turned."

"Do you honestly think that Harrington turned?" asked Leo. "That he killed Jones?"

"You were at the ship, Leo, Harrington was nowhere in sight."

"Yeah. I know, I just can't believe it. He scored higher then any of the other cadets at the Nebula Academy. Why would he throw it all away like that?" Leo sighed heavily. "I guess I like to believe that the good guys don't turn bad."

Mike smiled and grabbed his brother's shoulder. "Now we both know that sometimes even the best of us fall." He patted Leo on the back. "See you tomorrow, little brother. Tell Kendrix and the kids I said hi."

"Will do." Leo remained in the command base just a little longer, thinking over the past, back to a time when he was younger and still wore the color red. He had long retired from his red ranger duties, as had the others. It had become tiring on all of them in their growing age; they were all in their forties and could no longer handle the intense surge of energy. But he still remained part of SPD, always needed to be out in the action. He had married Kendrix two years after Karone had left and went back to be with Zhane and her brother. _Karone_… He still felt a pang in his heart every time he thought about her. He was grateful that Zhane had been with her, so she didn't die alone, but he couldn't help but feel badly. If she had remained here, then maybe she would still be alive.

It wasn't that he didn't love Kendrix. He was madly in love with her, he had been since they first meant. And he wouldn't trade anything in the world for the twelve years of marriage and still counting. He had everything a guy could want, a loving wife, a job he loved and two great kids. His life was perfect, but on days like today he found himself wondering and thinking about the past.

How does one turn on those who would have called him friend? Leo thought back to the Magna Defender, who had been both friend and foe, who was caught in between duty and revenge for the death of his son. In the end Magna Defender had realized the mistake of his ways. His mind soon drifted to Karone, who as a little girl had been abducted from her home, taken away from her family, and raised by darkness. But years later she would realize the truth of her past and eventually would make peace with her wrongful actions.

What was Dru Harrington's story, what caused him to turn? Leo heard his phone ringing. "Hello. Hey honey, yeah I'm on my way home right now. See you in a few minutes…"

* * *

"Do we know for sure?" asked Kat.

"No. We don't, but it's looking highly likely that Officer Harrington has turned on SPD." Cruger kept his voice down as he and Kat talked, not wanting this information getting any further than the two of them. The last thing he needed was information like this spreading down the halls, and finding its way to Sky, who wouldn't want to hear anything of it, even if the evidence all pointed to Dru's betrayal.

"Does Sky know?"

"No." He looked Kat hard in the eyes. "And no one's going to tell him."

"Doggie, you can't seriously be thinking about keeping this from Sky. He and Dru were roommates."

"And that's exactly why I won't tell him. He has too close a relationship-"

"And that's exactly why you should tell him. What if Dru shows up here, shouldn't Sky be aware that Dru is no longer with SPD?"

"When that situation arises I will handle it then. Until then Sky is not to know of Officer Harrington's believed betrayal." He looked Kat hard in the eyes.

"I just hope your decision doesn't come back to haunt you." She stormed out of the room, but stopped halfway. "And for Sky's sake, let's hope we're wrong about Dru."


	44. The Missing Pieces

"I want to be assigned to Search and Rescue Squadron," demanded Sky. It had been two days and still no sign of Dru or his ship. And no one seemed to be any closer to finding out what had happened to Dru and why they lost contact with him.

"I cannot permit you to join Search and Rescue Squadron, Cadet Tate." He looked Sky right in the eyes. "Your time is needed here," responded Cruger firmly. He had thought with time that Sky's attitude would change, but it seemed to only have gotten worse.

"My time! My _time _is being wasted baby-sitting." He could feel his frustration growing, his best friend was missing and no one seemed to give a damn about how he felt or would even take the time to understand why he would want to be placed in SA.R.S.

Cruger eyed him sharply. "I wasn't aware that training with your teammates was _baby-sitting_ to you."

Partly ashamed, Sky turned away and took a deep breath before meeting Cruger's gaze once again. "Dru's my friend, sir. If he's in trouble I want to help him."

_If only he knew._ But he couldn't tell Sky, not now anyway. If Sky knew the truth about Dru, about Dru's believed betrayal, he would fall apart and push himself even further from the others than he already did. "I know," he answered softly. "And that is why I cannot grant your request to join. You would be too emotionally involved and I can't have that. I'm sorry."

Sky left without saying another word. What could he have said; there was nothing he could have said or done to get Cruger to listen to him. He felt powerless, like his life was no longer in his hands. That each and everyday his life was being set out and planned by everybody but himself. Ever since he arrived, Cruger had planned his days. He was tired of doing what everyone wanted him to do. It was time to put himself in charge of his life. He was going work hard and prove to Cruger that he deserved to be a ranger, to be at the top, be one of the best. No more of this kid stuff. It was time for him to become a man.

He passed by the lounge and found Syd and Bridge playing lightball. "Hey Sky, come on and play a few rounds with us," announced Bridge as he waved his friend over.

"Yeah. It'll be fun, Sky," smiled Syd. "Just like always."

"Sorry, but I don't have time for those _kid's_ games," he replied harshly as he passed by the room heading towards the gym.

"Since when are we considered kids?" announced Syd, slightly offended by Sky's statement.

"Well, technically we are kids and Sky is an adult, being over eighteen and all."

Syd just shook her head and looked at Bridge, not being able to believe he had said that; well, she could believe it, but still. Fed up with the whole thing, she left the lounge without saying a word.

"What? What did I say?" asked Bridge, totally oblivious to what had just happened.

* * *

"How goes everything on KO-35, Tykwa?" asked Commander Cruger as he contacted her through the visual communication screen. Tykwa, years ago, had been a close friend to both Zhane and Andros. And she was part of the Kerovian rebel retreat when their planet had been attacked, but that was over twenty-three years ago. Since then KO-35 was a peaceful planet.

"_It is well. Thank you for asking, we are doing much better now,"_ she replied. Tykwa was now in her fifties, and had been left in charge of KO-35 ever since Kinwon had died without leaving behind an heir to take his place. He had no children; if Zhane hadn't died he would be next in line, because he was Kinwon's nephew. But until a new leader could be appointed, Tykwa was in charge of the planet.

"That is good to hear." His face then became very grim. "How are-"

"_Better. It's… It's been a long time now. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself." _It had been known for years by many officials of KO-35 that Cruger held himself responsible for the deaths of the rangers, along with the fall of his planet.

"Yes. It's never easy for a parent to have to lose a child; two children and a grandchild is even worse."

"_Anders and Zelda are strong."_

She was right, even after all they had been through, they had survived. First having their daughter kidnapped, and years later having her returned to them, but not for long. Years later they would lose both their son and daughter and so much more. Something no parent should have to go through. "Yes they are."

"_How are things on Earth?" _

"We're doing well."

"_Yes. I've heard you have a remarkable set of A squad rangers."_

"Yes, you've heard right. But I've heard you have a great set of rangers as well."

"_Yes, that we do." She smiled. Her face then became very serious, it was unlike Cruger to make social calls. "I expect there is some reason that you contacted me; this isn't a social call, is it?"_

"No. I just wanted to know how Sinuku is doing."

"_Still locked up and accounted for. We still haven't been able to get anything out of him, but don't worry, we will. How is Dr. Rheas doing?"_

"She's fine. I have my squads keeping an eye on her, from a safe distance."

"_Good." Her face then became serious. "I was sorry to hear about Officer Dru Harringtion." She saw a flash of concern cross Cruger's face. "Don't worry. It's all kept quiet here; only the officers out on the search for him know of his abandonment."_

"Have you talked to Crystal, his supposed girlfriend?"

"_Unfortunately, two years ago she was killed in an explosion."_

"I am sorry to hear that. She was a good pilot." He felt a pang of guilt, like it had been his fault, if he hadn't…

"_Commander Cruger, it isn't your fault."_

He nodded his head. "Yes. Well I should let you get back to your work."

"_It was good to hear from you, Commander Cruger."_

"And you as well."

* * *

Kat and other scientists and doctors looked over the new cadets, checking to make sure they were fit and healthy to be able to join into SPD daily training sessions. Anyone who showed signs that could interfere in their training would have to undergo more tests.

Dr. Manx had already seen twenty new cadets, five of whom would need to go through more tests, to make sure that they would be able to handle the intense workouts and training. A young girl with long hair, a ponytail on each side, walked up to Kat and closed the room to the exam room. Kat looked down at her chart looking for the girl's name. She looked up and smiled. "You must be Sophie. I'm Dr. Manx."

"It's nice to meet you," smiled Sophie.

Kat looked down at her chart again, going over Sophie's file.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Um." Kat looked up, a little confused. "It seems that some of your information is missing."

"Is that going to be a problem?"

Kat shook her head. "No. I'm sure the board must have mixed up your papers. It happens all the time." Kat smiled. "I just need to know your age and then we can get started."

Sophie seemed a bit hesitant but then quickly responded with, "I'm fifteen."

"Okay, now if you can hop up here we can get started." Kat pointed to a lab bed.

Sophie hopped on and watched as Kat picked up a scanner of some sort. "What is that?"

"This is the new and improved way of scanning the body, one swipe and I get a profile of all your internal organs and bones." Kat typed in a few numbers, getting the device ready. "You know, make sure that there's nothing in there that shouldn't be. Make sure you're not a cyborg or anything," she joked.

Sophie didn't seem too amused; she seemed to tense up as Kat swiped the machine over her. The light began to flash as the power went out. Sophie felt her heart racing, as she slowly moved her hand and sort of waved it near the machine.

"That's strange." And just as she said it the power came back on. "There we go." Kat looked on the screen and saw a profile of human bones and organs.

"Everything okay?" asked Sophie.

"Better than okay." She turned to Kat. "You passed with flying colors. You're free to go."

"Thanks." Sophie smiled and hopped off and started towards the exit of the lab room.

"Strange though, the last girl that came in passed with flying colors too."

Sophie laughed under her breath. "We both must be really healthy then."

"I guess so." Kat smiled and watched as Sophie walked out of the room and a new cadet walked in. "You must be Matt."

* * *

It had been a little more than five years since he left home, even less since he met Z and swore to her that he would look out for her, be her older brother. And although they were very different, they were close as any brother and sister could be, maybe even more. They could always tell what the other was feeling.

It didn't seem to surprise Jack that he would grow up doing the same thing his parents had done, helping those less fortunate. Although his way was a little more different, more dangerous, he felt a thrill of excitement every time he helped someone who at one point had nothing and after he helped them, they had something. So in the end it was worth it, even if what they were doing was stealing, but as he would always tell Z, it was no different than what Robin Hood had done. And it did help that Z was able to duplicate herself, so they were able to get done a lot faster.

"You know one of these days we're going to get caught," announced Z as she got back into the truck.

Jack smirked. "Come on, Z, have a little faith." He started the engine. "Besides, we're doing it for a good cause."

"Easy for you to say, Casper." She grinned, she could never be mad at Jack. Part of her knew this was important to him, it was his calling. The only thing was, she wasn't so sure it was her calling and at the same time, didn't know what she wanted. She was like so many sixteen years olds: always mixing up what they wanted and what they _needed_.

"Casper, we're back to that again." He grinned as he pulled out on the streets.

Z fell silent; she was sure where she would be if it hadn't been for Jack. He had become her family, but that didn't stop her from thinking about the family she had once had. She missed her parents more than anything and often wondered if they were watching over her, whether they were proud of her. Some nights she would wake up from a dream and think she was back in her old home and everything was okay, but as she opened her eyes, she would see she was in the truck and Jack not too far away from her.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Jack.

She smiled. "Nothing." She had given up on asking Jack about his parents; every time he would act as if he hadn't heard her. But that didn't stop her from wondering if Jack ever thought about them, wondering how they were, what they were doing or whether they were even alive. She could only imagine that they were probably worried and wondered every day what had happened to their son.

* * *

"Where is that freak-a-zoid?" announced a young boy as he and two others were searching, searching the basketball court of the children's home.

"Forget about him, we can get him later. I'm hungry."

"Me too," answered the third boy.

"You're always hungry, Frankie." The boy searched around again, but there was no one else in sight, only a few pieces of sports equipment lying around and a couple of dumpsters. "Yeah, I guess you're right, let's go."

Once the three boys were back in the building, Sam reappeared and stepped out from behind the dumpster. His special ability enabled him to be able to hide himself quickly and then make himself reappear when he wanted to be seen. He had been here for two years and so far had made few friends and no one seemed to want to adopt him. He had learned a year ago that his father had been arrested for abandoning him; shortly thereafter his father's rights towards him had been dropped and he then became a ward of the state, an orphan. No one wanted him, not even his own father.

He sat down and leaned his back against the dumpster. He knew he could run away, but what would be the point, sooner or later someone would find him and he would be returned here or be placed in some other group home. All he wanted was to be like everyone else, then maybe the other kids would want to be his friend, then maybe his father would want him. Although, he barely remembered his father now; he wasn't even sure, if he ever even saw him, that he would know that was his father.

Sam pulled a small photo from his jacket, the only photo he had left. It was of him and his mother, back when they had been happy. "I wish you were here, Mom." He stared at the picture for a long moment and soon felt a tear trickle down his face.

It was late, but he didn't care. He had to become stronger, so he could prove to Cruger and everyone else here that he was ready to take the next step and not be held back. Sky punched the punching bag with great fury. He put everything he had into every single punch that he threw and then would combine his punches with his kicks. His moves were quick and graceful, as if he didn't need to think about them, like they had been built into his mind since he was a child.

* * *

"Sky?" Syd yawned as she walked into the gym wearing her pajamas; she had gotten hungry and decided to head towards the kitchen for a midnight snack when she found Sky training. "Sky, what are you doing up this late, you should be in bed."

"I'm training. And curfew hours don't apply to me," he answered rudely as he continued to punch and jab at the punching bag. "Now, you on the other hand, better head back to your room before I report _you_ to Cruger."

"What's eating you?" she asked. "You know what, fine!" She threw up her hands and stormed out of the gym. "Sorry for being concerned about your wellbeing."

"Huh. Wh-a going on," yawned Bridge as he started in.

"Come on Bridge, I'll walk you back to your room." She glared back at Sky. "Before Mr. Personality tells the big dog on us." Syd grabbed Bridge's hand and led him out.

He yawned again. "Okay. Night, Sky."

He didn't even notice that they had left. His mind was too set on his own priorities to care about anything else at the moment. _Don't worry Dru, someday I promise I'll find out what happened to you_.

**1 year later… **

"Dr. Manx, you'd better have a good reason for calling me down here. I was going over tactics with the A squad on their upcoming mission." If there was one thing he hated it was being interrupted.

"It is, sir." Kat went over to her computer and began typing in a few keys. "You remember our 'Robinhood Copycats'?"

"Yes. They have been a problem for the last two years, and as of yet, none of the SPD Officers have been able to do so much as get a identification on either one of them."

Kat smiled. "Well, last night the department store camera was lucky enough to get a clear picture of both the thieves," She moved aside so he could watch the video. "And that's not all, I found out why no one has been able to get a clear identification of them."

Cruger watched as a young man and woman quickly made their way through the department store, gathering what they could. In quick flashes he began seeing more than one of the young woman, and if he didn't blink he could have sworn that he saw the young man go through a wall, taking with him all that he held. His eyes widened. "It can't be. After all these years."

"It has to be them, sir, who else could it be?" announced Kat. "They have been right under our noses the whole time."

He turned to Kat and looked back at the still imaged screen, focused on both of the faces that had to be none other than Jack Landers and Elizabeth Delgado. "You're right. It has to be Jack and Elizabeth."

"And they couldn't have shown up at a better time," added Kat.

"Yes. The only problem now is getting them on our team."

"Well, you are very persuasive. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

He turned to her with a laugh. "Very amusing, Dr. Manx, I'll just remember that when evaluation reports come in."

"Now I see where Sky gets it from." She moved past him and started to gather up her papers and report files.

"Speaking of Sky, do you believe I should recruit him as B squad red ranger?"

"Sky is the best fighter and works harder than both Syd and Bridge."

"Yes, that he is." Cruger put his hands behind his back. "But that doesn't answer my question."

She turned back to him. "It's not my decision to make." She started towards the exit, huddling the packets of files in her arms, but stopped for a moment. "But for what it's worth, I know when it comes down to it you'll make the right decision." She smiled and then headed on her way.

He had already made his decision even before asking her what she thought. Yes, Sky was the best fighter and worked harder than most of the cadets here and showed promise in leadership. But at the present moment, after his conversation earlier in the day with Sky, Cruger felt that Sky was not quite ready to take on the red ranger and all its hardships. There was much more the son of Wesley Collins, aka the red ranger, had to learn. Perhaps one day he would be ready to take on the red ranger, but until then the position would have to be given to someone else.

Already he could feel the pieces starting to come together. The other two had been found. And if all went as planned, the five would be placed together, just as it was set by their parents years ago. And eventually they would come to know the truth about their powers and how that day had changed their lives forever.

But that only left one other, still out of the picture. The question was when and how this other would be found. Would it be years like it had been with Jack and Z or would it be just by chance that this other would be discovered? Only time would tell, but one thing was for sure, the future was NOW.


	45. Gruumm's Darkest Secret

"_Emperor Gruumm, your plan is coming into order. We will be with you shortly," announced Charlie as she spoke through a holograph image communication transmitter. _

"Good. How did he react when he learned that his prized warriors were against him?"

"_Commander Cruger is a fool. He didn't suspect a thing," laughed Charlie. _

Gruumm laughed. "Good. That old dog has gotten blind in his old age."

"_Yes. We'll be with you soon, my master." Charlie bowed her head._

Gruumm closed the communication link. For the past twenty years he had been planning this, soon he would have control of the whole universe. He had already taken out Sirius and several other planets, only a few hundred remained, and Earth was his biggest threat.

Cruger had gone to Earth soon after his home had been destroyed and had taken over the SPD development, taking the role of Commander. It was a move he hadn't expected; it took him several years before he learned of Cruger's location. Of course he was displeased, but then the great thought of corruption took over in his mind. He needed someone on the inside, someone he could trust, so he planted the bait. And no one would suspect a thing, they were mere teenagers secretly working for Gruumm.

It had been the plan all along to send the five to one of the SPD Academys, but when he had gotten word that Cruger was in charge of the one on Earth, he couldn't resist, so he sent Charlie, Tusk, Cliff and the twins Kane and Kim, but he also sent a sixth, Dru. But Dru had turned on him and devoted himself to Broodwing.

And the day had come. Cruger had just moments ago learned that his own rangers had been against him. He could almost see the look on Cruger's face, the disappointment, betrayal and grave fear.

"Gruumm, I'm bored," whined Mora as she walked into his chambers. "When can we destroy the humans?"

"Go back to your room, Mora!" he hissed.

"You're no fun!" she yelled as she stomped off.

Gruumm growled under his breath. She was a pain to deal with, but he needed her and it wasn't like he had problems controlling her. He never had. He always had been able to get her to do and believe whatever he said. And up until Omni gained control of Mora's mind he hadn't even used a spell. He never had used a spell to control any of the children he had collected over the years.

He grinned wickedly; Mora hadn't been the first child he had abducted. No, the first had been his greatest collection. He had his followers and spies all over the universe searching and when they found what they were searching for, he sent his army of Krybots to take them from their homes, killing their families. While they were young and innocent it was so easy to manipulate their minds to bend to his every word. The five no longer had memories of their past lives. Gruumm reminisced, going back some twenty years when the five had been taken from their homes….

…._20 years ago, the year 2000_

**_Aquastar_**

_Aquastar_ _was the home of the Quadalwalrus, a planet not far from Aquitar. Quadalwalruses had been known for their brute strength and powerful battle tactics, but were not dependant upon water like their cousin planet Aquitar. _

_The Quadalwalruses were born with four eyes. The four eyes gave them great focus on their surroundings, so they would always be prepared, always ready and on guard. But on one day they were not ready, at least not one group of Quadalwalruses, because they never suspected that one day someone would come and threaten their lives in ways they could never even imagine._

"_What do you want?" cried a female Quadalwalus, as she watched as they beat her husband to death. Her husband, a great warrior, strong and true, had always had no problem winning a fight. But these Krybots, orange and blue, were unlike anything they have ever faced before. They had already killed her two eldest sons, and soon her husband would be dead, and she suspected soon after, her as well._

"_Please tell me what you want," she pleaded with them. "I'll give you anything, just spare my youngest, Tusk." She wrapped her arms tightly around her young son Tusk, he was only three. "Please. I beg of you," she cried, as she watched as the orange headed one struck her husband with its sword._

_The man she had loved, had three children with, who had once been a great warrior, fell to the ground as if he were nothing. They had beaten everything out of him, until there was nothing left. She watched in fear as they surrounded her, swords and blasters held up, all aiming at her._

"_Mommy, I'm scared," cried Tusk, as he tightened his arms around her neck._

"_It's going to be okay, honey." Even with four eyes, she could see no mercy in her captors. They had come here for one thing and that was to kill them all. She watched as the orange head raised his sword, getting ready to strike. She knew for sure she was going to die, no use in running. They were far too powerful for her to handle alone. _

"_Grab the boy!" ordered the orange head._

_The blue heads grabbed a hold of Tusk's arms, ripping him right from his mother's arms. "What?" Her eyes lit up in fear, when she finally realized what they had come for; her son, her baby boy, Tusk. "No," she whimpered. "No, no, no… Please."_

"_Mommy!" yelled Tusk, as he struggled to get free and even at three he was showing the strength that his race had._

"_Can't you keep him under control? He's just a child!" the orange head yelled, as he was getting ready to make his attack._

"_Sorry, but he's a lot stronger then he looks," replied one of the blue heads, as he and his comrades ganged up on the boy to overpower him._

"_What do you want with him? He's just a little boy."_

"_That's none of your concern." The orange head then struck her with his sword. "Where you're going, it won't matter."_

"_No! Mommy!" cried Tusk. He violently tried to get away and was almost succeeding. He was already proving that he was much stronger than his father and brothers combined. _

_The orange head then walked right up and faced Tusk and grabbed him by the neck. He could see the anger and fury in the boy's eyes. "Yes, feed off that anger, Tusk. Emperor Gruumm will be very pleased with you indeed, you'll make a fine addition to the collection." _

_Tusk's eyes then fell to his dead mother's body and he continued looking at her until he could see her no longer. The Krybots carried him away from his home and he watched as it faded away the farther he got, until he could see it no more._

**Triforia**

_Triforia_ _was_ _the home of Trey, the Gold Ranger, one of the most powerful rangers throughout the galaxy, or that was what was thought. On one day, Trey would learn that even he had his limits and could not always protect everyone. _

_The Lees had come across trouble, they and their three children. Unlike most Triforians, whose three selves were identical, their children were three separate people. There had been a third; Kane and Kim had a brother, Kai. The Triforians had believed that the three children were meant for great things, but they never suspected that because of their great difference from their kind, that it would only bring misery._

_Trey had gotten word that the Lee family was in trouble and had rushed to their aid. He stood in front of the Lees who were protecting their three children, only two years old. _

"_You are not welcome here! I order you to go back from where you came from. Otherwise, there will be hell to pay," announced Trey, as he got into his fighting stance, ready for whatever these new visitors had to throw at him. _

"_Our pursuit is not with you, gold ranger. Leave now or we will have to kill you."_

_Trey stepped forward. "Then I guess you're going to have to kill me, because I'm not leaving."_

"_So be it." The orange head waved over the blue heads and two more of the orange heads. "Kill him," he instructed._

_The Lees and their children watched as the Krybots surrounded the gold ranger. They were hopeful that their leader, their mighty warrior, would be able to defeat this new enemy. He had beaten thousands in the past, this shouldn't be a problem, or so they thought._

_They watched as the Krybots combined their strength and overpowered the gold ranger. He had barely lasted five minutes before he fell to the ground, going into a forced demorph. Trey cried out in pain; it was unlike anything he had ever felt. Blood trickled down his head as he locked eyes with the leader Krybot who pointed a blaster right at his head. He had failed. He couldn't save them, couldn't protect them. He waited for death to come for him as his punishment for his failure, only death had other plans in store._

"_No! Leave him alone, you big meanie!" cried Kai as he broke away from his parents' grips. Ignoring his parents' cries, Kai ran in front of Trey, taking the blow. Everything seemed to fall in slow motion, everyone, including the Krybots, were stunned, they all watched as Kai dropped to the ground, unmoving. Trey pulled the boy into his arms, he was lifeless._

"_No. Come on, Kai," Trey cried, as he tried to breathe life back into Kai, but it didn't work. The boy was gone. And in his distraction, the blue Krybots shot the Lees. Trey turned his head when he heard Kim and Kane break out into loud cries, watching as their parents dropped to the ground. "No!" He tried to get up. "You won't get away with this!" But the orange Krybot knocked him hard in the head and he fell back down, not able to get up. He watched helplessly as the Krybots scooped up Kim and Kane, taking them away. "Kim… Kane…" There was nothing he could do, as he felt the darkness cave in. "Forgive me…"_

**Eltar**

_Eltar was a planet of different assortments of races, from wizards to witches, from humans to robots. It had been the home of Zordon, a great wizard, who was known widely through the galaxy for being able to sense great warriors in the making. He had taught a number of power rangers over the years, including his only son, but no one even knew he had a son. _

_None even knew the identity of the Phantom Ranger. Zordon's son had been the once and proud Phantom Ranger, one of the universe's greatest secrets and one of its greatest tragedies. Only a few knew the truth, **and all are dead today. All except one…**_

_The Phantom Ranger gripped a young boy's shoulder tightly. "Son, run as far as you can. Get to our secret spot. I've called your mother, she's on her way, and she'll meet you there."_

"_But Dad…I want to help you fight," he pleaded as he handed his father his helmet._

_He took the helmet and put it on. "Clifford, not this time." He knelt down in front of his son, who was just a couple days shy of his second birthday, and wrapped his arms around him. Although the young boy was only two, he appeared much older, due to his Elterian half; young children mature much faster and once they reach seven they age normally. "Now go, and whatever you do, don't look back." He held his son's hand until his son had gotten too far out of reach, as he was reluctant to turn away. "Don't look back," he said once more, before his son turned and ran off. _

_Moments after, the door of his home was broken open. The Phantom Ranger turned around and watched as Krybots emerged into his home, blasting everything in sight. "Where's the boy?" yelled the orange head._

"_You'll never find him." The Phantom Ranger got into a fighting stance, but slowly eased his right hand behind his back to his belt, where a small device was clipped to the back of his belt. He pressed a button and a countdown of numbers began._

"_Oh, you can be sure we'll find him. Even if we have to blow this place up piece by piece, we'll find him." _

"_I'd like to see you try." _

_Cliff started running as fast as he could, but he stopped and turned around. Already he could see a cloud of smoke; his home was up in flames. "Dad!" For a moment he was frozen, wondering what to do, run away or disobey his father and go back to help him._

_He then realized he had no choice, his father was his hero, he had to help him. Cliff ran back towards home, not even knowing that it would be the biggest mistake of his life. _

_The smoke was getting heavy and already he could feel his strength leaving him. The Krybots were just too powerful for him to handle on his own. His vision was starting to get blurry, as they surrounded him, getting closer and closer. He just needed a little more time, it wouldn't be long now._

"_Give up while you still can," announced the orange head. _

"_Never!" He charged at them, using what energy he had left, giving his son all the time he could. He knocked one of the blue heads to the ground, landing right on top of him._

"_He's got a bomb on him!" one of the blue heads cried._

"_What?" The orange head's eyes lit up, only a few seconds remained. "We've got to get out of here!" The Krybots began to flee from the home, but the Phantom Ranger jumped on top of a few again, but not all, some still made it out._

_It would be over soon, he just had never thought it would end like this. "I'm sorry….."_

_BOOM. A huge explosion emerged from the home, blasting everything in sight. The force of the explosion struck the Krybots that had escaped, knocking them into trees. "DAD, NO!" Even young Cliff had gotten in the explosion's way. His body went flying right into a tree. He hit his head hard and dropped to the ground, unmoving._

_Several moments passed, until the surviving Krybots woke and searched the grounds until they came across the body of a young boy. The orange head approached him and knelt down, feeling for a pulse. "He's alive." He picked the boy up. "Come, our work here is done."_

_An hour later…_

_A young woman with long black hair ran as fast as she could out of her ship, into a dark and hidden spot. "Cliff!" she yelled. "Clifford!" But the boy never came or even said a word. She walked around some more and then her feet stumbled over something. She turned to see what it was. She gasped and her eyes filled with tears. "No..." Her knees gave away and she dropped to the ground. "No!" He was the one she had loved more than anything, her lover, her best friend. She pulled him into her arms and held him tightly, not even caring that he was bloody. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here in time…"_

_His eyes slowly opened. "Not…your fault." He had survived the blast, just barely, and made his way here, but he knew his time was short. He took her hand and kissed it gently._

_She did her best to hold back her tears. "Where's Cliff?"_

_He had known his son had come back for him, yelling out his name, but he couldn't find him or any of the Krybots, and he could only assume one thing. "I'm so sorry. I told him…" His eyes filled with tears. "He didn't listen."_

_She felt her heart breaking, not only had she lost her lover, but her son as well. "Not your fault." She gently caressed his face and short blond hair. "At least he won't go alone."_

"_I love you, Cassie."_

"_I love you more," she answered and watched as his eyes closed, like she had so many times, only this time it was forever._

**KO-35**

_It had been years since Karone had been abducted by Darkonda. No one would have suspected that seventeen years later, that history would repeat itself, only this time at a greater cost._

_They lived far off in the country area, a quite and peaceful place to live and raise children. At least that was what Anakin, a now retired soldier from the Kerovian army, had thought. His wife had died during the war and he was left to raise his two children, Cosmo, his fifteen year old son, and Charlie, his five year old daughter. _

_Since his children were born, he had trained them to fight. Both of them were natural fighters, but what surprised him the most was how well Charlie was able to pick up on things, as if she was born to be a fighter. He just never suspected that it would turn his world upside down._

_When the Krybots arrived he was unprepared, and needed to think fast. He woke his son and daughter up, and hurried them out the back door; it wouldn't be long before the Krybots would break through the bolted door. "Go as fast as you can." He looked into his son's eyes._

"_But Dad, let me stay and help you!"_

"_NO!" He smiled faintly. "I need you to take care of your sister. Can you do that for me?"_

"_Of course, but…" He sighed heavily, but he knew he had to do what his father asked of him. Charlie might be a great fighter, but she still was just five years old._

_Anakin rubbed his daughter's head. "Listen to your brother."_

"_I will, Father." Charlie locked eyes with her father, as she took her brother's hand. "Will I ever see you again?"_

_He smiled faintly. "Of course you will." There was a bang at the door. "Now you've got to go, and whatever you do, don't stop running." Anakin stood there for a short moment watching as his children ran off into the night, before turning back into his home to give them some time to get away._

"_Where's the girl?" barked the orange head as he watched Anakin storm into the room._

"_You aren't going to touch her!" Anakin charged at them in blind rage._

"_Foolish human." The orange Krybot was fast and quickly grabbed a hold of Anakin by the neck, sucking the breath right out of him. He then tossed Anakin across the room, knocking him right through a wall. Anakin's body dropped to the ground hard, and he watched helplessly as the orange Krybot approached him._

"_Wait…" BANG, the Krybot shot his blaster once more, making sure he was finished. He stepped over the lifeless body. "Search the perimeter, they couldn't have gotten far," he ordered._

_Cosmo and Charlie ran as fast as they could, but Charlie's short legs were growing weary and she dropped to the ground. "Cosmo, I can't run anymore."_

_Cosmo ran back to his sister and helped her up. "Come on, we have to, they could be right behind us."_

"_Actually, we're right in front of you," laughed the orange head as he punched Cosmo hard in the face, causing the teenager to stumble back._

"_Hey, don't hit my brother, you big jerk!" yelled Charlie as she kicked the orange head hard in the leg._

_He almost lost his balance, but he quickly grabbed a hold of her. "That hurt."_

"_Let me go!" she screamed. "Cosmo!"_

"_You're a feisty little thing, aren't you," he hissed. _

"_Charlie!" Cosmo got to his feet, only to be punched hard in the gut by a group of the blue Krybots. Winded, Cosmo was unable to get away before two of the blue heads grabbed a hold of both his arms, which prevented him from moving any farther._

"_We got him, sir," announced a blue head._

"_Let him go, you blue freak!" Charlie squirmed and tried to get free of her captor, but the orange head krybot kept a good hard grip on her._

"_Gruumm's orders were only for the girl. Kill him."_

"_What? No!" Charlie tried to get free, she punched and kicked, but all her attempts were futile. All she could do was watch helplessly as her brother tried to break free and watched as his face became terrified, as a third blue krybot got in front of him pointing a blaster. "Cosmo, no!" cried Charlie, as she watched the Krybot shoot her brother. Soon after, the other blue krybots released her brother and he dropped to the ground._

_The orange Krybot put her back down on the ground and she ran to her brother, shaking him. "Cosmo, get up!" He didn't respond. "Cosmo, please. Please," she whimpered, as tears ran down her cheeks. Then she knew her brother was gone and he wasn't coming back. She ran back to the orange Krybot, kicking and punching him. "I hate you. I hate you!" she screamed._

_He scooped her up in his arms, staring right at her, sending a shiver down her spine. "Good…" he hissed. _

Gruumm laughed as the memories faded away, it truly had been one of his biggest accomplishments, taking the children from their homes, and then raising them to do his own bidding. It only took a few years, until he had gained their trust and was able to get them to do whatever he asked. All the while, forgetting where they came from and who they once were….

"Emperor Gruumm, I think we have something that you've been looking for," announced Charlie.

He turned around and grinned. "Doggie Cruger, we meet again…"


	46. Endings Part 1

Endings was writen by Jackie Marchand & Jackie Marchand

Gruumm was very pleased, after all these years he finally had Cruger right where he wanted him. A sitting duck, and this time he didn't have an army to back him up. "Well Cruger, how does it feel to be betrayed by your own rangers?" He sneered, finding it amusing that Cruger had never once suspected he would be betrayed by his own rangers, cadets he had watched grow into becoming power rangers.

"These aren't rangers. A true ranger must be true of heart." He turned and looked at them disappointedly. "All those years of training and you have learned nothing." In all his years he could never even dream that his own rangers would turn on him. "You were chosen by some of my best rangers. And this…this is how you repay them, by turning your backs on them."

Charlie and her teammates stood tall and proud in their glory. Not even aware that they had turned against their would-be friends. Too many years of growing up in Gruumm's dark shadow had changed them, taken away their purity. "Grow up Doggie; everyone wants to be on a winning team." She smirked and looked to Gruumm. "Isn't that right, master Gruumm?"

Gruumm eyed his prized warriors, his _children_. "Yes," he hissed. "And once the Earth falls, you will rule beside me as promised." Or at least until they had lost their usefulness. Once he was finished using them, he didn't plan on keeping them around. They were far too dangerous, and he was afraid that one day they would recover their repressed memories. "Now leave us, you know what to do."

"Of course." Charlie bowed. "We will eliminate the B squad once and for all." Charlie and her team started out of the chamber room.

"Wait…" Cruger called after them, hoping he could talk some sense into them. "How long will it be before Gruumm decides you are no longer useful to him?" He paused for a moment. "Do you really think he'll keep you around?" For a split second, he could almost see a trace of concern across their faces, but a second later it was gone and they were on their way. Cruger bowed his head sadly, now realizing there was nothing he could have done or said; they truly were Gruumm's warriors, pawns in his evil game, a game that would eventually cost them their lives.

Gruumm got right into his face, almost breathing down his neck. "Don't blame them, they don't know any better," he hissed. "After all, all they've ever known was hate, ever since they were little." Gruumm was pleased, to say the least, at Cruger's horrified reaction. "What, you don't like how I raise my children?" He laughed. "They're stubborn, I'll give them that. They were so much easier to deal with when they were children. I almost feel sorry that once this is over, I'll have to kill them." His evil smirk and grin sent shivers down Cruger's spine. "Oh well, there are other children throughout the universe, and I still have Mora."

Then the pieces started coming together. Mora had not been their first, there had been others before her. And they had been under his nose the whole time and he didn't even know it. "You-you monster!" Cruger was filled with rage and anger. He tried to lash out at Gruumm, but his hands were bound with chains, and he could do nothing but stand helplessly, watching Gruumm laugh in his glory.

* * *

Sky and his teammates had headed into the lounge shortly after Cruger had dismissed them, wanting to talk privately with the A squad. The rangers were displeased to say the least, feeling that all their hard work for the past year was all for nothing, now that the A squad was back. There wouldn't be much of a need for them. Sky however, didn't buy it. He knew that they were important and that Commander Cruger had his utmost faith in them. Just because they were second rank to the A squad didn't make them any less important. 

"Guys, come on, Commander Cruger said that we're a great team," announced Sky. "And without us, Gruumm would have already taken over the Earth."

"Well, I for one don't want to go back to picking up after those hot shots," announced Syd. It wasn't that she didn't like getting her hands dirty, it was more that she felt her talents would be wasted, picking up the messes left over from the A squad. "If they so much as order us to clean their boots or anything, I'm out of here."

"For once I have to agree with Syd." Z crossed her arms tightly. "I'm sorry, but this is not what I signed up for."

Bridge sighed as Sky looked to him, looking for help to back him up, but…"Sorry Sky, but they have a point. I like what we've been doing. I don't want to go back to the way things were," added Bridge.

He couldn't blame them. Even he himself didn't want to go back to being chopped liver. But if he left SPD, he would have to give up being a ranger and he wasn't so sure he wanted to do that. He wanted this for so long, for as long as he could remember it was all he ever wanted. He wasn't about to just give up so easily. "Look, I don't like it any better than you guys. Cruger's tough, but I know he'll make the right decision." He turned towards Jack who was talking on his cell phone. "Right Jack?" No answer. "Jack!"

Jack turned around from his corner. "Can't you see I'm busy?" Jack turned his back and put the phone back to his ear "No, not you Ally, it's Sky."

"That does it!" Sky stormed up to Jack and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What!" Jack covered the phone up.

"Tell your girlfriend we're running into problems here and you'll call her back." Sky gave Jack one of his hardest looks and then nodded towards their teammates, who were all distraught and in need of motivation from their leader. "You're the team leader. You see them over there, they're all thinking about quitting."

Jack smirked in a joking manner. "Now, that's some of the best news I've heard all day. Besides, with the A squad back, there'll really won't be any use for us."

Sky looked like he was about to blow a gasket. He was tired of this; for the past few days Jack had been acting like he had his head somewhere else, instead of where it should be. "Jack!"

Jack knew that look, it was either do or die. "Ally, this isn't a good time. I'll call you back." He sighed; this was the third time he had cancelled their plans. "I'm sorry."

"_Jack…."_

"Happy?" Jack tossed the phone onto the table. "I really don't see what the big deal is. We did our job and all we got was a slap on the back, and the A squad is probably getting loads of praise and medals. So I'm going to have to say I agree with the team, quitting doesn't sound too bad of an idea." Jack got up and went to go sit next to Z.

"Guys, come on, rangers never quit," announced Sky, as he turned around and stared at his teammates, trying to get through to them.

"No offence Sky, but I think you're the last person to be talking to us about this," announced Z.

Sky crossed his arms against his chest. "What's that supposed to mean?" He waited, but no one answered him; instead they all turned their heads, as if they really didn't want to get into it with him. "Well, is someone going to answer?"

"Come on Sky, not everyone had a power ranger as a daddy," answered Jack.

"Yeah, you've wanted to be a power ranger since you were five. All I wanted at five was a puppy with a pink bow," added Syd.

"Yeah, maybe my dad has something to do with it, but that's only because I _know _he would have never quit, no matter what. My dad kept on fighting until he took his last breath." Sky licked his lips and started looking back at his father the way he remembered him. "He didn't do it for the glory or the medals. He did it to help people, to do what was right." The alarms sounded off. Sky looked down at his morpher and then back to his friends. "I don't know about you guys, but I've got a job to do." With that said, Sky took off and followed several other cadets out the door.

A few seconds passed and Sky's words stuck in their heads. None of them had known Sky's father; they only knew him by reputation, and he was one of the greats. He had died as one of the greats, all to make the world a better place for them. "Oh, come on, let's make sure he doesn't hurt himself," sighed Syd as she got up.

"All right. Come on Bridge, let's help Syd protect her boyfriend," said Z as she got up from the couch.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!" Syd started moving fast towards the door. "And besides I don't even like him, like that."

"Yes you do. And I would-"

Syd's cheeks began to turn red. "Shut-up Bridge!"

Z laughed, and swatted Bridge on the shoulder. "Come on Bridge, let's go make sure Barbie doesn't break a nail." The two started after Syd. "You coming, Jack?" yelled Z.

"Yeah. Right behind you," answered Jack from the couch. He was lost in his thoughts, what Sky had said really stuck in his head. Sky was so dedicated to being a ranger, helping people, like his father had done. He didn't care about medals or praise; he just loved being a ranger, loved helping people, carrying on the tradition.

Much like how he himself was dedicated to helping people, but in a much different way. He loved helping those less fortunate, giving them food and clothes, much like his parents and grandparents had done. Jack stared at his morpher, wondering if this was what he still wanted or even if he was leader material. He had basically told the others to give up and quit. While Sky, who was not even the leader, had tried to get them to reconsider. _Maybe Cruger chose the wrong person for red ranger._

_

* * *

_

The rangers ran into the Command Center and found Kat waiting for them. A number of the SPD technicians were in the room as well, working at the computers, checking the security systems.

"Good, you're all here." She faced them. "We're going to need your help."

"Why? We're just the lowly B squad," remarked Syd. "Why don't you ask the amazing A squad for help?"

Kat frowned, she wasn't liking the attitude, but she didn't have time to give them a lecture. "Because the A squad has abandoned SPD." Her face then became very serious. "And they have taken Commander Cruger with them." She looked them all hard in the eyes. "To Gruumm."

Bridge stepped forward, his face in alarm. "Wait… Are you saying the A squad is against us?" For months he had felt something had been off with the A squad, but he had never imagined it would be anything like this. He just thought they were ill or something to that effect.

"I'm afraid so." Kat grabbed a remote off the computer console and pressed a button. "This surveillance video shows the A squad using a teleport transmitter and leaving with Cruger."

The rangers watched in despair as the A squad pointed their blasters at Cruger and then instructed him that he was coming with them. Kat turned off the video. "You're all we've got left; as I speak Broodwing and an army of Troobians are on their way here."

"When do we begin?" announced Sky. He and Cruger might not have always seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He couldn't let SPD fall; both his father and grandfather had been big benefactors in getting it ready. He owed it to them to make sure it didn't fall to pieces, not as long as he was still around. This was his home.

"Dr. Manx, we're receiving an incoming message," said one of the cadets.

"Bring it through," answered Kat. A second later they all watched as Charlie, leader of the A squad team, appeared.

"_You want us, B squad, come and get us!"_ The screen then went blank.

"You can't go, it's a trap," instructed Kat.

"Of course it is," answered Jack, he knew all too well it was a trap. But they didn't have much of a choice, someone had to handle them and right now he and the other rangers were the only ones who could stand up to them. He turned to his team. "But we're going, Commander Cruger would have wanted it that way."

"I'm with you, Jack," announced Sky.

Jack looked to the others. "Guys, let's say we give it one more shot."

"I'm with you bro," smiled Z, there was no way she was going to let Jack go and fight the A squad without her. Not after all that he had done for her. He had been there for her when she was all alone.

"Count me in," added Bridge.

"Me too," smiled Syd. "After all we're a team."

She knew that they didn't have much of a choice, but she also knew they would have the fight of their lives ahead of them. The A squad had far more training than they had. She feared for their safety, but they had to do what they had to do. And she knew there was no one else who could handle the A squad.

"Then it's settled, let's go," ordered Jack as he and his teammates started out of the Command Center.

"Wait… Just so you know, Commander Cruger told me you're the best he's ever had."

"We won't let you down Kat, that's a promise." Sky moved up over to Jack. "Come on guys; let's show them what real rangers are made of."

* * *

Eric was sitting in a board meeting along with Mike Zaskin, going over reports with the board, over the medical testing and new weaponry for the cadets and officers of SPD. In their separate science department for the last year the scientists had been studying genetics and seeing if there could ever be way to adapt it, wiping out diseases and birth defects. They still had a long way to go, but someday they would have it right at their fingertips. 

And perhaps the only person in the room who knew that was the one in charge of it. Eric knew it probably wouldn't happen until he was long dead, but already he could see signs of Time Force happening. The very thing that had changed his life in so many ways. He wasn't sure where he would be today if Jen and the others hadn't come to 2001. He definitely wouldn't be here. He looked around the table, men and women all dressed professionally, talking big numbers. He smiled faintly, he owed a lot to them and to Wes.

Alarms started going off.

"What's going on?" Everyone in the room became alert and started looking around; they all then turned to the windows by the door and saw several of the SPD officers racing down the halls.

"Now what the devil do you suppose is going on?" asked Mike Zaskin as he started to get up from his seat.

"I'll check it out." Eric got up and walked up to the door and opened it. He grabbed a hold of one of the cadets. "What's going on?"

"Mr. Myers, NewTech City is under attack. We just got word from their SPD headquarters that an army of Troobians are headed in their direction; they're calling for any available reinforcements."

Eric nodded his head and let the cadet continue on his way. He raised his wrist, like he had done so many times, but this time it was empty. Eric grabbed a hold of his wrist with his other hand. He no longer wore his morpher, hadn't for years, not since…

"We have to hurry. I just heard over the radio that the A squad has abandoned SPD and are fighting the B squad as I speak," said one of the officers as he ran down the hall with a group.

_Sky_. That did it, he had to go. Eric turned down the hall and started towards his office.

"Eric," Zaskins called after him, as he ran to catch up with him. He knew that look all too well.

Eric walked up to a safe in his office and did the combination. He opened it, and inside lay his morpher. He grabbed a hold of it. It was almost overwhelming for him, he hadn't laid eyes on it for years.

"What do you think you're doing? It's too dangerous, you're not as young as you used to be." And he would know better then anyone, he had been one of the top researchers to see how long a human body could withstand such power. For anyone who was within their forties the research had showed a great risk in health. It was just too much power for them to handle.

"I don't care. Sky might be in trouble." He put his morpher back on its rightful place on his wrist.

"Eric, please reconsider, the cadets are more than capable of handling this situation-"

Eric cut him off. "I lost Wes. I'm not going to lose his son."

And there was no stopping him. He knew all too well that once Eric's mind had been made up, there was no changing it. "Be careful."

Eric smiled. "Aren't I always?"

Mike smiled. "What should I tell Hayley?"

"That I'm taking care of something I should have done a long time ago."


	47. Endings Part 2

It didn't take them long to find the A squad, or former A squad, seeing as how they were no longer with SPD. All they had to do was follow in the direction people were running away from. The four of them sat in the jeep just watching for a moment as the A squad stood still watching them, waiting for them to make the first move.

Sky pulled up next to them on his bike and pulled off his helmet and set it on the ground next to his bike. His eyes glared down at the former A squad, former cadets he recognized, all familiar faces to him he had seen in the halls, at lunch, in the lounge. They had been some of the top cadets, when he had just been a rookie. And it was hard for him to accept that they had turned against them. How could a Power Ranger be so evil, to betray the very people they had sworn to protect?

"You guys ready for this?" asked Jack, knowing full well that they were going to face their biggest battle yet. The A squad was highly trained, trained to _win_.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," answered Z, as she got out of the jeep. Jack followed her lead, with Sky right behind him.

"They're going down!" exclaimed Sky, who was angry at Charlie and the others, they had been trained by the very rangers his father had chosen and trained. He felt it was disgrace, that all his father's hard work, his sacrifice, had been for nothing.

"Yeah. They're going to pay for giving Power Rangers a bad name," announced Syd, as she got out of the jeep with Bridge right behind her.

Bridge eyed the five all carefully, seeing the anger and rage flow through their bodies. He waved his hand once more, seeing their colors were once again off, like they had been the last two times, but this time he saw a flash of something else. Something he had never experienced before. Quick flashes, of frantic cries, death, fury and pain all mashed into one. He almost fell back, but Sky and Syd caught him before he fell.

"You okay?" asked Syd, full of concern.

Bright got a hold of himself. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think."

"Did you see something?" asked Sky, as he helped Bridge to stand on his own.

"I-I don't know what I saw." He had never experienced flashes like he had just seen. It was much stronger than what he usually was able to pick up on. "It was unlike anything I have ever felt before." He stepped forward a few feet. "So much pain and anger." He had no idea what it could mean, but one thing was for sure, something terrible had happened to the A squad. The question was how long had it been there?

Jack leaned over to Z. "I think he's finally lost it."

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are we going to get this on!" yelled out Charlie, who was getting eager to begin the destruction of the B squad.

Sky was the first to step forward. He was going to make sure they knew exactly what being a ranger was supposed to mean. "Oh, we're ready for you." He pointed out at them. "You're going to be sorry for making a pact with Gruumm."

"Easy, Sky." Jack got in front of him. "But first they have the choice to surrender." He eyed the A squad. "The choice is yours; come quietly with us or be prepared for one hell of a battle."

The A squad laughed. "Hah, surrender to you?" Charlie smirked. "What is that, a joke? You can't be serious."

Jack just shook his head. _Some people never learn_. "Fine." The others soon joined him and Sky. "Guys, let's show them what real Power Rangers are made of!" announced Jack as he and the others morphed.

"Come and get us!" snarled Charlie as she and her teammates morphed.

* * *

Commander Cruger was locked away in a cell with his hands bound in chains. He had no way to escape. He couldn't even break through the bars with his bodily strength; a power force field surrounded the bars, making it impossible, not even Jack would be able to escape. His thoughts were of the rangers, of how they would fare against the A squad, much more highly trained cadets. He knew Sky and the others were good, but even they might not be ready for the wrath of the deadly A squad.

All he could hope was that they would make it through alive, or maybe they could learn the truth about the A squad, but even he hadn't known until just an hour ago. It was impossible, unless of course Bridge would be able to pick up on anything. But even he wasn't sure just how far Bridge's abilities could go. But even if they did, he wasn't so sure they would even be able to get through to his former cadets, who were filled with so much hate.

All seemed hopeless now; it was Sirius all over again. …He could lose them, just as he had lost Andros and the others. He had failed then, just as he had failed now….

"Let me go!"

His heart skipped a beat. That voice. He _knew_ that voice. It was a voice he hadn't heard in years. But it was impossible. It couldn't be…..

"Unhand me!" Cruger watched as Gruumm and two Krybots came forward, dragging someone he thought he had lost forever.

"_Isinia_!" He couldn't believe it. She was alive. And she was just as surprised to see him as well.

"Doggie!" Her eyes filled with tears. She lashed out at Gruumm, but the Krybots quickly pulled her back. "You told me he had died on Sirius!"

Gruumm laughed. Not only had he tortured Cruger for years, believing his wife was dead, he had also tortured her. "What can I say, I lied." He looked back at Cruger, wanting to see the fury and agony in his eyes. He hissed, "You took something of mine." He pointed to the missing horn on his head. He then grabbed a hold of Isinia's arm. "So I decided to take something of yours."

"So children weren't enough for you."

Gruumm laughed, as a grin came across his face. "Children do need a mother." Cruger's eyes fell on Isinia, whose face dropped into a great sadness. Gruumm unlocked the cell and tossed Isinia in. "Enjoy the last few moments you have with each other, because by the end of the day, you'll both be dead." Gruumm then left the two in the growing darkness of what was to come.

* * *

The alarms were going off throughout the entire academy, cadets and officers were running through the halls, running past the younger student cadets, who were all huddled together in a group. Young Sam was one of them.

The Omega Ranger, AKA older Sam, came running towards them. "This way. I'll get you some place safe." He then led them to the underground of the academy, a protective area that had been created in case an attack like the one they were experiencing now happened. As they were running away they heard heavy blasting going on. "In here," they heard the Omega Ranger yell. He stepped aside, making sure that everyone got in. "Okay, keep on going through the tunnel until it ends. When this is over, someone will come and get you."

"I want to help." Sam moved his way back to the entrance. "My friends are the other rangers."

The Omega Ranger knelt down in front of the younger version of himself who was still so young and had not yet seen the terrible darkness he had grown up in. In his world the other rangers had died, long before this attack had taken place. He had lost his childhood when his friends had been killed in battle. But now things could be different, he had already prevented them from dying, but now this had happened, and he had no way of knowing what would happen next.

The only thing he knew was if something were to happen to his younger self, then it could change everything that had happened up until now. "Not this time, Sam." He gripped the boy's shoulders. "Right now, I need you to make sure that you and everyone else are safe. The future of SPD depends on it."

But young Sam's thoughts were not for himself, but for the friends who had befriended him. The ones who had been there for him when he was in trouble, and caught up in the mess with Gruumm. Back when he didn't know who his friends were, didn't know who he could trust. But they kept on trying, especially Z. She tried the hardest and was able to show him who his real friends were.

For so long after his mother had died, he felt alone in the world. But that all changed when he met Z and the other rangers, and came here. He had a family again. The rangers were his family. "What about the other rangers, they're in trouble, they could-"

"They're the best, aren't they?"

"Yeah," answered Sam softly. "I guess."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." He stood up and looked over his shoulder and saw two Troobians coming towards them. "Hurry! Get to safety." Once they were all securely inside, Sam of the future closed the door behind the children and stood in front of it, making sure nothing else would get in. "Bring it on!" he roared, as he got into a fighting stance, fully prepared for what was to come.

* * *

Cruger and his wife sat in an awkward silence, neither one knew what to say or do. Both had thought the other had been dead for years. And then Cruger found out that his wife, the woman he loved, had helped raise the A squad and Mora, with Gruumm. He felt sickened in his stomach at the thought.

"We have to talk about this, Doggie," announced Isinia, breaking the silence.

"I can't believe you could raise such monsters-"

She sighed heavily; part of her did feel responsible. They had been young back then, she still could have… "It wasn't like that, by the time I met Charlie and the others they were already the puppets Gruumm had intended them to be." Her voice was soft and gentle. Even she didn't know where they had come from. What kind of lives they had before Gruumm had taken them. Whether there was someone out there looking for them, wondering where they were or if they were all right. "I couldn't help them."

Cruger sighed heavily. Perhaps he had been too harsh, for all he knew Gruumm could have had the children since they were babies. "And Mora?'

Her face saddened again. "For a while I was able to help her, keep the child within her, but Gruumm soon became aware of it and then locked me here, and I haven't seen her since." She bit her lip. "She probably doesn't even remember me."

Cruger leaned his head closer to her, doing what he could to comfort her. "You did what you could."

"I've missed you so much," she cried.

"And I've missed you."

* * *

Hayley sat in her living room with her three children and Drake's daughter, Jenny, who had been spending the weekend with them since Drake was out of town on business. Megan's eyes were glued to the TV as she listened to the report about the attacks that were happening all over in Newtech City.

"_Several attacks have been appearing all over the city." The camera then moved closer towards where the SPD Academy was. "As you can see, several Troobians have already surrounded the SPD_ _Academy." The camera then moved back to the newscaster. "This is just in, apparently, the A squad rangers, who have been missing for months, are fighting in battle against the B squad who had stepped up when the A squad had disappeared. Details are unclear; when we have more information, we will get back to you. Stay tuned…"_

"Mommy, isn't that where Sky is?" young Wesley asked his mother as he climbed in her lap. He hadn't really met Sky, he had been too young to remember him, but he knew who he was. He was the son of the man he had been named after. And he knew well enough that he was very important to both his father and mother.

"Yes, honey," answered Hayley softly. She then began to wonder if Eric had heard about the attack. She knew if it was bad enough that would have sent word to the smaller headquarters in Silver Hills.

"Sky's a ranger now, right?" asked Erin as she turned her head away from the TV over towards her mother. She was sure she had overheard her father telling her mother that Sky had become the blue ranger.

Megan looked over at her mother, she might be only thirteen, but she knew if the report was right and the A squad and B squad were fighting against each other, that Sky was in trouble.

"Yes Erin, Sky's a ranger now." She smiled faintly. "But don't you worry; he's going to be just fine. Isn't that right, Megan?"

Erin turned to her older sister and waited for her to reply. "Yeah. Sky's the best." But even she knew that even the best don't always make it through, at least that was what she had learned from her father. Her uncle, the man she never got to know, had died in battle, like so many before him. "Erin, why don't you and Jenny go take Wes and play outside for a little while."

Wes jumped off his mother's lap. "Yeah!" He went running over to Jenny and grabbed her hand. "Come on Jenny, let's go play."

"Okay. We can play tag." Jenny got up and the three headed towards the front door. As they were going out the door, the phone started to ring. Hayley picked up, thinking that it was probably Eric, wanting to know if they had seen the news.

"Hello…. Mike?...Yeah, we just saw it." A few moments passed. Her eyes then widened with a look of fear and fury. "He did what!"

Megan didn't have to ask what that meant. She knew her father well enough to know what he would do in this kind of situation, especially if it involved Sky.

_Some place far, far away…._

"Come on Sam, where are you?" asked the Nova ranger out loud, as she used her tracking device to get a lock on her young friend. When they had lost contact with him, she had been sent on after him to bring him back home. But that was months ago, and since then she had been going in and out of different time periods, trying to reach the year 2020, but her tracking/portal device had been damaged just before they sent her through the portal.

She pulled off her helmet, needing to get some air, letting her long dark hair blow against the wind. Her greatest fear was that Sam was dead and that she would never find him. He was just a year younger than her, still had so much life to look forward to, although the kind of life they have been living was more surviving than living really.

They had gone into the underground, after Gruumm had defeated the B squad and most of SPD. It was a sad day for all of them. She was just a young girl, watching it on the news; to this day she could still see the horrified look on her parents' faces. There was destruction everywhere, no one was safe.

There was a joint resistance among humans and aliens alike that tried to throw Gruumm and his army out; many of them lost their lives in the first wave of battles, her father and uncle were two of them.

To this day, she knew that was the reason she had joined the underground resistance of what was left of SPD, going against her mother's wishes. It seemed so long ago now that she had seen her mother, her siblings. She sighed heavily, having to put that behind her; right now she had to concentrate on locating Sam. If Sam did reach the year 2020 and was able to prevent Gruumm from killing the rangers, then that could mean that the future had changed. They would all be alive again. Her father could still be alive. If she ever made it back home, she would see him again. She put her helmet back on and continued to work out the bugs of the device. One of her specialties was fixing things, a talent she had gotten from her mother, while everything else from her attitude to her fighting techniques from her father. "I'm coming for you, Sam."


	48. Endings Part 3

The battle was fierce, as the B squad and A squad faced each other in the final battle. While the A squad only fought to prove they were the best, the B squad was fighting for something much more important. They were fighting for Commander Cruger, for SPD and their home. They were fighting to show just what it means to be called a Power Ranger. If there was one thing they all had learned this year, it was that being the best doesn't always mean you're going to win and get what you want.

There was more to being a Power Ranger than fancy uniforms and cool gadgets. It was teamwork and dedication; to keep on fighting even when it looks like you're going to lose. Because a ranger never gives up, they keep on going right down to the very last breath; Sky's father taught them that.

"Give up!" roared Tusk, as he slammed Sky against a brick wall and watched as he dropped to the ground. Tusk kicked the blue ranger over on his back. "I promise to make your demise quick." He lifted up his foot and got ready to slam Sky right in the chest.

Sky reached up his arms and grabbed Tusk's foot. trying to push it away, but Tusk's inhuman strength overpowered his own. "Then I guess you don't know me that well!" Even though he was tired and his arms grew heavy, he couldn't give up. Too many lives depend upon him. "Because I never give up!" Sky threw Tusk off of him.

Tusk picked himself up from the ground. "Seems I underestimated you."

Sky got into a fighting position. "If you were a _real _Power Ranger, then you would know never to underestimate another Power Ranger."

Tusk just laughed. "I am a _real_ Power Ranger." He positioned himself into a fighting stance. "Besides, it didn't seem to work so well for your father," smirked Tusk, knowing full well how Sky was when it came to his father.

Sky could feel his anger flow through him. Anytime anyone discredited his father for the kind of ranger and man he was, he could snap and lose it at any moment. But as he has learned, he couldn't let his anger get the best of him. He already knew how great a man his father was. It didn't matter what anyone else thought. "So are we going to fight or are you getting scared that I'll beat you?"

"I'm not scared, bring it on," he spat.

Syd was having difficulty holding her own against Kim. Kim was a much more experienced fighter than she was. But she refused to call out for help from her friends, knowing they were having just as much trouble as she was. She wanted to prove to them that she wasn't Daddy's little princess anymore, that she was a woman, a warrior, someone who could stand up for herself.

"Had enough?" Kim sneered as she kicked Syd down to the ground.

Syd took a deep breath; she gripped her hands and then felt her hand grip around a rock. She smiled to herself behind her helmet as she stood up. "I was just getting started." She ran towards Kim, throwing a punch with so much force it threw Kim back a few feet.

Kim was surprised to say the least. "How'd you do that?"

Syd laughed and flipped the rock in her hands. "All in the genes, sweetie." She got into a fighting stance. "Now, where were we?"

"Do you really think that with three of you, you'll be able to stop me?" uttered Cliff, as he eyed the three yellow rangers carefully. Only one of them was the real B squad yellow ranger, and he wasn't about to be fooled by any of her tricks.

"Why don't we find out?"

Cliff took a deep breath and carefully eyed the three. He needed to stay calm, stay patient, in order to reveal the real one.

Z stood still. '_What's he waiting for?'_ she asked herself.

"Come on, tell me which one is the real you." Everything seemed to stop or just appeared to stop. Cliff felt a gust of wind go through him, and for a slit second he felt as if a shadow overlaid him, something so different, but yet so familiar, as if it was something from a forgotten past. But then it was gone, like it had never been there. But that didn't matter anymore; he finally had his answer. His eyes locked onto the center yellow ranger. "There you are!" he yelled and punched her square into the chest.

Z grunted as she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. "Impossible!"

Cliff laughed as he started towards her. "You're not the only one with tricks."

He didn't know what was going on. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The quick flashes, the heartbeat and horrified screams of a little boy. _What's going on? _Bridge didn't have much time to figure out what was going on, not while he was fighting Kane, an immensely powerful opponent.

"Fight me!" roared Kane as he punched Bridge hard in the shoulder.

Bridge tried to fight back, but whenever he did the flashes would return. And suddenly something that he never thought possible, happened. In a quick flash Bridge's surroundings changed, to a darkened grey. _He wasn't with the others. In fact he wasn't sure where he was._

"_Where am I?" He looked around and saw great mountains and trees, he could feel the fresh air blow against him. But the lightning flashed and he heard horrified cries. He turned and watched as a young boy fell to the ground, dropping in front of a Power_ _Ranger_ _Bridge_ _did not recognize. "What?"_

_More cries continued; Bridge watched as Krybots shot two more people, a mother and father. He then saw two more children, a boy and girl; Bridge was horrified as he watched the Krybots start towards them. "Oh no!" He then watched as one of the Krybots knocked the ranger out. "Leave them alone!" he cried as he pulled out his blaster and began shooting, but it had no effect. In fact, it was as if he wasn't really there. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Krybots dragged the children away._

"Ahh!" Bridge dropped to the ground, with the A squad green ranger lingering over him. His heart was racing fast as he looked up. What had just happened - one moment he was here and the next he wasn't? What did it mean? And then Bridge looked closer, staring right at Kane's helmet and that's when he saw it: a quick flash of Kane and the small boy he had just seen. "It was you…" He felt like his heart skipped a beat as he stood up and backed away, blown away by what he had just learned.

"What are you talking about!" barked Kane.

Bridge pulled off his helmet, not even aware that he was doing it.

Both Jack and Sky had their hands tied fighting their counterparts, but took the time to notice that Bridge had made a dangerous move.

"Bridge, what the hell are you doing?" yelled Sky.

"Get your helmet back on!" ordered Jack.

But Bridge ignored their calls, keeping his concentration locked on Kane and what he had just learned. "You don't even remember, do you?" Bridge stepped forward, but stopped when Kane pulled out his blaster, pointing it right at him. He took a deep breath, he knew what he was doing was dangerous, but he had to at least try to get through to him. "You and…" he then eyed Syd, fighting with the pink ranger. And he soon saw a flash of her as well. She was the little girl he had seen. "…your sister, you were real little when they came for you." Taking a leap of faith, Bridge stepped forward once again. "They killed your parents and your brother."

"Shut-up!" Kane's fingers gripped around his blaster, as he pressed it against Bridge's chest. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Bridge then began to think more into it; if Krybots had come for Kane and Kim, killing their family, was it possible the rest of the A squad had suffered the same fate? It seemed like the most gruesome act that could have take place, but then this was Gruumm, and this had him written all over it. He came to his conclusion with open and saddened eyes. "You're not evil." He put his hands on top of the blaster, trying to press it down. "You were just taught to think you were."

* * *

The alarms were going off throughout the Command Center; Kat and Boom had to seal and lock all doors to prevent the Troobians from entering, but that also meant no one else could come in. All they could hear was the heavy blaster firing and the voices of the young men and women who were fighting to protect them. They felt completely helpless, not being able to help them. Sure, Sam was out there, but this was too much for even him to handle. And the other rangers couldn't come to their aid, they were still tied up with the A squad.

Many would probably die today, that was one thing that couldn't be helped. Kat felt her mind drifting back to her home planet that had been destroyed. She was all that was left when Andros and the others arrived on her world, and would later bring her here to Earth. _Home_. It seemed strange calling this place home, but that's what it had become. Earth was her home.

"What's Bridge doing?" asked Boom, as he watched the screen where the battle between the A and B squad was taking place. He had been watching Bridge the longest, who had stopped fighting and removed his helmet. And now was talking to Kane, the green ranger, as if they were long-lost friends.

"I don't know, but I know Bridge and he wouldn't do anything without thinking about it." But something in the back of her head told her there was something else going on. The question was, what was it?

BOOM! Both of them jumped and turned their heads to the sealed door; smoke was slowly leaking in. It would only be a matter of time until the Troobians made their way in; the door wouldn't be able to hold for much longer. And once they got inside the Command Center that would be the end of things. The Command Center was the heart of the Academy, if it fell, the whole Academy would go down with it.

"What are we going to do? The doors can't last much longer," announced Boom.

Kat, knowing that they didn't have much time, walked over to a safe and opened it. She pulled out two blasters. She walked back over to Boom and tossed him one. "Still remember how to use one of these things?"

Boom gulped in heavily as he stared at the blaster in his hands. He knew what he had to do, but he was afraid. He had failed out of the academy's training course. He wasn't fit to be a cadet or a solider. All he was, was a nobody that everyone felt sorry for. "I-I…"

"Brace yourself!" BOOM! That had done it, the doors were full exposed. Troobians were everywhere and dead and injured bodies of cadets lay all over. Kat raised her blaster, aiming right at the Troobians. "Now Boom!" she ordered. "You can do it!"

There was no time to think, only to react, as the Troobian army marched towards them, blasting away everything in sight. Blast shots hit the computers and walls, destroying them in seconds. The blasts seemed to miss Kat and Boom for now.

"Kat, it's not working!" Boom could feel his heart racing as he continued to use his blaster that had little effect on the Troobians.

"We can't give up!" But even she knew, the odds were against them; it seemed unlikely they would survive. Her doubts of survival increased as more Troobians came their way, and her heart broke as she watched them take cadet after cadet down, the ones who were trying to protect them. All hope seemed lost…..

"Did someone call for reinforcements?" yelled a voice.

Both Kat and Boom looked up and watched as a red and black ranger jumped over the Troobians and now stood in front of them.

"Eric?" Kat was stunned to say the least. He was the last person she ever suspected to show up here. "W-What….I-"

"Yahoo! The Quantum ranger is back in action!" Now Boom knew they stood a chance, with the Quantum ranger at their side anything was possible. Years ago he had been known as one of the most feared rangers.

"It's nice to see you too, Kat." Eric pulled out his Quantum Defender. "So you two up for kicking some Troobian ass? Or do I get to have all the fun for myself?"

Kat grinned, still the same old Eric. "We got your back, Eric!"

"Good! I just might need it." He raised his blaster up and fired the first shot and hit a Troobian head on. "Now who wants to go next!" cried Eric as he ran towards the center, punching and kicking. He felt a great surge of energy flow through him. It had been years since he had been a ranger, fought in a battle like this. But, this was very different. For as long as he could remember he liked fighting alone, but now he found himself searching for the shadow that was no longer there.

With Eric with them, hope had returned to Boom and Kat. Now they stood a chance…

* * *

Jack was having a little trouble keeping up with Charlie, whether it was because she was faster and slightly more experienced or the fact that he couldn't quite bring himself to hit a girl, he wasn't sure. But one thing was for sure, if he didn't get his act together he'd be history, and somehow that didn't seem to be appealing to him.

"Is that the best you can do?" mocked Charlie as she picked Jack up by the neck. "I haven't even broken a sweat."

"…Sorry!" He swung his arm around and pushed her hands away from him. He dropped to the ground and landed on his feet. "I was just warming up." He took a deep breath, knowing it might be the only chance he had, before getting back into a fighting stance. "So, you ready to get this show on the road? Or would you rather surrender now, and not humiliate yourself?"

Charlie laughed, not buying into his egotistical remarks. "Don't flatter yourself, you haven't even beat me yet!"

"I-I…." Kane was a loss for words. He didn't know what to say as his weapon dropped to the ground and he demorphed. He was a loss for words as his eyes met Bridge's, and maybe for the first time what he saw wasn't the eyes of an enemy, but the eyes of something else. Something familiar, something he hadn't seen in years. Ever so quickly images flashed in his mind, horrifying images he had only seen in his nightmares. He grabbed a hold of his head, screaming out in pain. "Nooo……"

"_Nooo!_ _Mommy! Daddy," cried the little boy as the blue krybots scooped him up in his arms. He tried kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs, but it did no good. He couldn't get free. He soon saw his sister in the same position, crying like he was, trying to get away, but couldn't. So much fear, so much pain._

"Noo!" Kane's eyes were filled with anger and fury. He picked up his blaster and pointed it right at Bridge, fully intending to pull the trigger. "Get out of my head. Make it stop!" he ordered.

Bridge could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He slowly raised his arms up. "I'm not doing anything. They're your memories, they're real."

"Liar!" Kane continued to see the horrifying images flash over and over. "Make it go away, or I swear I'll blow you away!"

Bridge gulped in heavily and slowly stepped a few feet back. "I'm not lying. All I can tell you is that whatever happened to you was Gruumm's doing. If anyone has lied to you, it's been him."

"You're wrong." He kept his eyes locked right on Bridge. "Gruumm has been there for us, since the beginning. He's been like a father to me."

"That's what he wants you to believe." He felt torn at what to do or say. He didn't know any more than Kane did about what was going on. "Gruumm doesn't care about you. He's just using you to get what he wants."

"No!" Kane shook his head. "You're wrong." He pressed his fingers against the blaster, getting ready to shoot. Bridge just stood still, frozen in time, just waiting for the blast to hit him head on.

"Bridge!" yelled Sky as he jumped at him, taking him to the ground as the blast just barely missed them. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

The battle seemed to have broken up with the commotion; soon all sides were back with their teams to regroup. Sky helped Bridge to his feet. And then stepped forward, heading towards the A squad. "Let's finish this once and for all!"

"No! Wait." Bridge grabbed a hold of Sky's shoulder, pulling him back.

"What is it with you, Bridge?" yelled Sky angrily. "It's our job to bring them in, they're the bad guys."

"I have to second that," added Jack, who knew time wasn't on their side. Commander Cruger's life could depend upon it, if they didn't get to him in time.

"I know." Bridge bit his lip and turned back to look at Kane. "But you don't understand, they're not the enemy."

"What!" Sky yelled.

"I think you're right, he's lost it," said Z, referring to Jack's comment from earlier.

"Bridge, are you all right?" asked Syd, concerned. She knew that Bridge had his moments, but even this was too much for her.

"I'm fine." Bridge continued to look at Kane. He had almost gotten through to him; just maybe if he could get through to him again, they could end this battle. "But you're not, are you Kane?"

"I told you to shut-up. You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Bridge then began once again to repeat to Kane what had happened to him, so long ago. "When you were little, the Krybots kidnapped you and your sister and killed your family right in front of your eyes." Taking a leap of faith, Bridge stepped a few feet forward. "That did happen?" He then eyed all of them. "It happened to all of you, didn't it? You were taken from your homes and had to watch as your families were murdered. And ever since you were forced to live a lie."

Bridge's teammates were blown away by his accusation, but were even more stunned that the A squad seem frozen in time, and watched as the other A squad members demorphed, their eyes full of fury and confusion, as Bridge's words played over in their minds.

"Okay, does someone want to tell me what the hell just happened?" announced Jack.


	49. Endings Part 4

There was complete silence as the A squad stood still, all still unmorphed, and not one of them had yet made the attempt to morph or to provoke the battle to continue. Their faces were blank and questioning, as if their eyes had just opened for the first time in a long time.

"Bridge!" Jack demorphed and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Mind telling the rest of us just what the hell happened?"

The others followed Jack's motion and demorphed, and walked up behind the two and stared across at their supposed enemies. "All I got to say is, this better be good," announced Sky, crossing his arms against his chest.

"It's horrible." Bridge's voice was soft and filled with grief as he stared at all of the A squad rangers, Tusk…Cliff…Kane…Kim….and Charlie, seeing the things the five had chosen to forget, to put behind them, to make the pain go away. It was almost too much for him to handle, and each flash was the same, filled with death, pain and loss.

Now he understood what he had always sensed, what was wrong with them, their colors were off because their lives had been full of pain and corruption, their minds manipulated by Gruumm, to only be used as pawns in his evil game.

"Bridge." Jack tried again, unsure if Bridge had even heard him.

But Sky recognized the look in Bridge's eyes. "Give him time." Sky eyed Charlie and the others and then looked back to Bridge. "I think he's seeing something from their pasts."

"Great, we're in the middle of a battle and Bridge is-"

"Quiet!" snapped Sky, who knew that Bridge needed time to get a sense of everything before he could explain it.

"Someone missed breakfast," said Z.

Syd shook her head. "No. Sky always snaps like that, whether he's had breakfast or not." If looks could kill, Syd would be dead right where she stood. "…What? It's true!"

Sky looked like he was going to lose it when… "It's unbelievable." Bridge had finally spoken up and had come out of his trance. The other surrounded him, waiting for him to explain. "It's not their fault that they are what they are. Gruumm did this. He had them taken from their homes, and had them watch as their families were murdered, and only for them to be raised in darkness…"

The others soon began to see where Bridge was going with this. Jack gulped in and turned back to the A squad, stepping forward, needing to hear it from them. "Is it true? What Bridge said, that you were taken from your homes?"

Charlie eyed her teammates and then stepped forward, staring at Jack coldly, as if her very features were frozen that way. No emotion showed on her face, it was like she didn't even care. "Your friend doesn't know what he saw!" she snapped.

"Yeah," Jack nodded his head and licked his lips. The look in her eyes was more than enough to prove that Bridge was right. "But I bet you do." He sighed heavily, not even being able to imagine what they must have gone through. And he thought he had it bad. His problems seemed like nothing compared to this. "I can't even begin to imagine what your life has been like." He gulped in heavily, as his mind drifted back to his parents. He hadn't thought about them in years, but now found himself thinking about them, wondering if they were still alive, while these five had lost their families, had watched with their own eyes as they were murdered. "To lose your families like that, it must have been horrible." He started walking towards her.

"Shut-up!" snapped Charlie, as she stiffened up. She could feel tears wanting to streak down her face, but she refused to break down. She was the leader; she had to be the strongest.

"It's okay. It's not your fault," Jack continued to say, as he walked towards her.

"Jack, be careful," cried out Z.

Charlie grabbed her blaster and pointed it straight out. "Don't take another step!" Her hands were shaking, as her heart was racing.

"You're not going to shoot me."

"I shot and killed Dashel Jackson, so don't think I won't do the same to you!" Her eyes were fierce. She had taken a life once already, for all she knew her life was over anyways. Even if she had a dark and eerie past that had led to Dashel Jackson's death, that wouldn't take away the fact that she had killed the man. And she wasn't entirely sure if she were truly sorry, she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Jack stood still, not moving a muscle. The look in her eyes told him she was serious enough to pull the trigger.

Sky tightened his fist together, feeling anger flow through his veins. For years no one had known who had killed Dashel Jackson, and now after all this time the killer had revealed herself. Charlie had killed him, she had killed the man his father had trained and had chosen to be a power ranger, she had killed the man who had given him his father's helmet. He wanted to make her pay, he wanted her to feel pain, but as he stared in her eyes and looked closer he could clearly see she had been in pain her whole life, each day reliving the nightmare that had taken her family from her.

Sky took a deep breath. He was about to go against everything he once stood for. He opened his eyes for the first time and began to see that even the greatest of evils may have a tragedy of their own, that everything that may have happened to them could lead them to a point to which they might not have gone if their lives hadn't been corrupted by the evil of others. "Let us help you, Charlie." He walked toward her and Jack. "….all of you."

"Sky, wanting to help the bad guys?" Syd couldn't believe it. Never in her life had she ever thought that she would hear Sky say that.

"Guess there's a first time for everything." Z wrapped her arms around Syd and Bridge. "Come on, let's help them out."

"Why would you want to help us?" snarled Tusk as he smashed his hands together.

"Yeah, we're the bad guys, remember?" added Cliff.

"Not if Gruumm hadn't been using you as his pawns, you're not," announced Bridge.

"Gruumm has been like a father to us, right, Kane?" asked Kim, looking at her brother.

"I…" Kane found his eyes wandering back over to Bridge. For so long he had been sure about Gruumm, but now found himself questioning whether Gruumm had ever truly cared about them. "I don't know…."

Z got in front of Cliff and smiled faintly at him. A part of her truly believed that there was good still inside of him, frozen away in his heart, just waiting for the day when it would become unfrozen. "Don't let Gruumm win any more than he already has. Don't let him take anything else away from you."

"What would you know about having anything taken from you!" he snapped.

"Because when I was a little girl, my parents were killed in an accident." She felt a few tears slip down. "I know that what happened to your family is much worse, but I do know what it is like to have something you love taken from you."

Cliff studied her face for a moment, watching as her tears slipped by. It seemed so long since he had seen a tear, and not even knowing, he raised his hand up and caught one of her tears with his finger and stared at it for a long moment. And then he felt the presence of something near him, maybe even within him, something that had always been there, but he had never been looking, until now. …._father._

Z began to see a great change in Cliff, the coldness in his eyes drifted away and a faint smile appeared on his face. "They are right, Gruumm is our enemy."

"What!" Charlie snapped and turned her rage towards Cliff. "Don't tell me you believe these losers. Gruumm has given us everything!"

Kane soon joined in siding with Cliff. "Cliff is right, all Gruumm has shown us is fear, while they..." he stared at the rangers, "Have shown us forgiveness and compassion." Kane sighed. "I am sorry, sister, but Gruumm is not our father. I know it is hard, but try to remember our real parents, our brother…"

"Brother?" Kim's face became blank as her brother's words played over in her mind. "We had a brother…" The memories that she had wanted to forget came back to her, but it did show her the truth, a truth that Gruumm had taken from them. "Kai, he was our brother, there were three of us."

"Yes! You remember." Kane wrapped his arms around his sister. It seemed like years since he had done such a thing. A loving touch, that had been gone for so long, it felt so good to feel something again.

"I don't believe this!" announced Tusk, watching as one by one as his teammates sided with those who were supposed to be their enemies, the ones that Gruumm had ordered them to kill.

"Tusk. Please old friend, think back. Try to remember." Cliff turned to Tusk. As a child he remembered that Tusk was the angriest of them all. "Your parents were good; all of our parents were good."

"I don't want to remember!" he roared and started towards Sky, but Cliff jumped in front of Sky, holding Tusk back. He held his friend tightly. "Let me go, Cliff, I want to make it stop!"

"I know," Cliff sighed. Their lives had been filled with horror and all any of them wanted was for it to be over. "I know. I want it to stop too. It's okay."

Charlie began to see as her teammates pulled away. She didn't know what to do, her blaster dropped to the ground. She wanted to run, but had nowhere to go, she wanted to scream and shout, but nothing would come out. "Charlie." She heard Jack call her name. She turned to him, her eyes filled with fury and fear. "It's okay. It's over. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

_Afraid?_ Had that been what she had felt all these years, was fear? She had been the oldest. She had tried so hard to be brave for the others, while forgetting about her own fears. She had never handled them, never faced them. And never had come to terms with her brother's and father's deaths, until now… Her face fell and tears started from her eyes. "Over….It will never be over." She looked up at Jack. "Not until _he's_ dead." She tightened her fist together.

"I promise, we'll get him. He'll pay for what he did to you." Jack gripped her shoulder. "I promise," he said again.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, red ranger." Everyone turned towards where the voice came from. Everyone was stricken with fear. Charlie and the rest of the A squad rangers backed away towards the B squad. Gruumm glared at his soldiers angrily. "I ordered you to do one thing, and instead I find you collaborating with them!"

"Gruumm…" Charlie was a loss for words, she didn't know what to do or say.

"They're not going to do your dirty work anymore, you're going to have to find someone else," stammered Syd, taking a giant step forward.

"We're through working for you, Gruumm," Cliff shouted. "The rangers showed us the real truth, and you're _our_ enemy." His eyes were determined, filled with vengeance. He wanted Gruumm to pay for all the harm he had imposed upon him and his friends.

"I will not be your puppet any longer!" roared Tusk.

"You killed our families," added in Kim, she grabbed a hold of her brother's arm. "And…."

"….And turned us into monsters," finished her brother. The last twenty years of their lives had been nothing more than a living nightmare of eating up Gruumm's words, having their minds twisted and turned.

Gruumm laughed and stared them all down. "Monsters… Yes, you are monsters." He eyed Charlie and stared her down. "You've killed in cold blood. Do you really think that they'll forget that?"

Charlie turned her head away. Gruumm was right, she had killed a man in cold blood, and no one could forget that. But then she felt Jack grip her shoulder and then he stepped in front of her. "Charlie and the others have done an awful lot of terrible things." Jack bowed his head down. He had done some things he wasn't too proud of, not nearly as bad as the A squad, but still. "….But if I learned one thing this year, it's that everyone deserves a second chance." Jack turned to his teammates. "Right, guys?"

"You got that right, brother," replied Z, as she stepped forward, getting in front of the A squad.

"You want them, you got to go through us!" yelled Syd, going up with Z and Jack.

"If anyone deserves a second chance, it's them," added Bridge, joining with his friends.

Sky took a deep breath as he took several steps forward and joined his teammates. "Count me in too!" He pointed his finger right at Gruumm. "In order to get to them, you got to go through us first!"

The A squad couldn't believe what they were hearing. Just minutes ago, they had plans of killing the B squad, and now the B squad was sticking by them and had given them a second chance. A new beginning…..

"That can be arranged." Gruumm raised his staff, making it glow as an orb of some sort surrounded it.

The A squad rangers' eyes lit up in fear; they all stared at each other, nodding their heads. They knew what they had to do. It was time for them to be on the right side. "Now, rangers!" cried Charlie, as she signaled for her teammates to morph in a quick flash.

Charlie and her teammates shoved and pushed Jack, Sky, Bridge, Z and Syd to the ground, getting in front of them, taking the powerful hit that was meant for them. They held their ground hard, but knew they would not be able to withstand the power for much longer. 'Go, get out of here!"

"No, we're not leaving you!" answered Jack as he and the others pushed themselves up. "Guys, let's do it!" But they wouldn't get the chance, a powerful blast waved through and an explosion hit right where the A squad stood. This caused the B squad to drop to the ground, knocking the wind right out of them. And once the smoke cleared, their eyes widened with fear.

"Nooo!"

The A squad lay on the ground demorphed and unmoving. The team that had once been considered the best of the best had fallen. Jack and the others were still, they couldn't believe what had just happened. And in their shock, Gruumm's army of Krybots pulled them to their feet.

"Let's go…" hissed Gruumm, as he and the Krybots disappeared, taking the B squad with them, leaving the A squad for dead.

* * *

"Oh no," whispered Boom, who had watched the whole thing on the monitor. He had totally forgotten about the intense battle going around him, of Eric, Kat and several cadets fighting the Troobians around him.

"What is it, Boom?" asked Kat as she took out three more Troobians with her quick and intense cat-like skills.

"The A squad sacrificed themselves to save the B squad, but…." He couldn't even bring himself to say it. His face fell. "Gruumm has taken the B squad captive, they're gone…"

Kat was still, she didn't know how to answer. Now Gruumm had both Commander Cruger and the B squad. If they could ever use a miracle, they could sure use one now.

Eric turned his head, staring at Boom and then back to Kat. This wasn't good. "Sky…" Eric turned back to the Troobians, as much as he wanted to go and rescue Sky, first things were first. He needed to make sure the Academy was safe. "This ends now!" Eric began powering up and moved quickly, taking out every Troobian in sight. He was not going to lose Sky. He couldn't….

"Oh no," Boom said once again as he stared at another monitor of the outside of the academy.

"Now what!" Eric yelled, frustrated over the whole situation.

"It's Broodwing, he's outside of the Academy with an army of Troobians. The cadets aren't doing too well and the Omega Ranger, he needs help."

Eric took out the last few Troobians before heading over to the monitor next to Boom and Kat. "Damn! How long will those shield doors hold?"

"Not long." Kat turned to Eric, concerned. "They've already taken a lot of damage as it is. If Broodwing get in here, we're done for."

"Damn!" Eric slammed his fist on the computer's controllers. "Sky needs me!"

Kat knew how important Sky was to Eric; she gripped his shoulder. "But we need you more."

Eric demorphed and stared around at the cadets, Kat and Boom. They all looked at him, as if he was something great, a hero. Kat was right, they did need him.

"If anyone can make it through Gruumm's hold, it's Sky and the others," announced Boom. "They can make it through anything."

Eric smiled faintly, knowing Boom was right. Sky was stronger; he had been through so much already. If anyone could make it through this, it was him. After all, he was the son of two former power rangers. "All right. All right." He stepped forward and eyed the cadets around him. "Let's do it. Sky and the others are counting on us to make sure the academy doesn't fall. Who's with me?"

"We all are, sir!" shouted one of the cadets; the others soon joined with him.

"Good. Let's move out!"

"Eric, be careful, Broodwing is very powerful," called out Kat, watching as Eric led the cadets to what they hoped would be a victory.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!"


	50. Endings Part 5

Eric and several of the cadets stormed outside of the academy. They were surrounded by an army of Troobians fighting other cadets, with the Omega Ranger leading them in battle.

Eric stepped forward when he saw Broodwing in the center of the battle. "If any of you are having second thoughts, now would be the time to turn back." He announced, as he changed from blaster to sword form. His hands tightened around his sword. "No guarantees that you'll live though this."

"We're not going to leave you," replied one of the cadets.

"This is our home. We have to protect it," replied another.

Another replied. "Sir, it would be an honor to fight by your side, and if it comes down to it, die by your side."

"All right. Let's go help our friends!" Eric led them into battle, knowing that there was a very good chance that this could be his last battle. His eyes locked onto Broodwing, he stomped right up to him, while the cadets joined up with the others and Omega to defeat the Troobian army. "Broodwing!"

Broodwing turned around. "My, my, my, it's the quantum ranger, Eric Myers." Broodwing laughed. "I'm surprised that you had the courage to show up, considering what happened last time when you were in a battle such as this."

"Cut the shit and fight. I don't have time for small talk."

"Fine, have it your way!" Broodwing was quick and was up in Eric's face before he even knew it. He slashed Eric with his sword and then kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying back a few feet. "I was expecting more out of one of the most feared power rangers. Time seems to have slowed you down."

He pushed himself up and took a deep breath. "I may not be as young as I used to be, but I promise you I still have what it takes to take you down!"

"We shall see."

* * *

"Rangers!" Cruger's eyes widened, as he saw Gruumm and five Krybots coming with Jack and the others. His wife stood by his side holding his arm tight.

"Commander, you're all right," announced Jack, as he and the others were shoved into the holding chamber. They all looked relieved to see that he was still alive and appeared to be unharmed.

"For now, anyways." Gruumm glared in the cell eyeing them all with a stare that sent chill down their backs. "It won't be long now, the Earth will soon fall."

"Not if I can help it," roared Sky as he stormed up to the bars, ignoring Cruger calling his name. Once Sky's hands touched the bars he was shocked with a powerful surge of energy, sending him falling back towards Bridge and Syd.

"Sky, are you alright?" asked Syd, her voice full of concern.

"I'm..." He could still feel the tingling in his hands, slowly moving up to his arms. "...fine," He glared at Gruumm, hard anger burning in his eyes, as he breathed heavily.

Gruumm laughed. "…And this from a son of a red ranger; I would have expected something more from you."

"Why you-" Sky was about to lash out at him again, but found his friends holding him back with all their might.

"Sky, cut it out," said Syd as she and Bridge held him back.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I have more important business to attend to." Once Gruumm and the Krybots were gone, Bridge and Syd let go of Sky.

Frustrated, Sky walked up to the back wall and punched it. He didn't even feel the pain; he was too angry, whether at himself or Gruumm he didn't know.

"You need to learn to control that temper of yours," announced Cruger, knowing that more than once it had gotten Sky into trouble. He waited for Sky to answer or talk back to him, like he had done so many times, but this time Sky just went to a corner and turned his back. Cruger sighed and turned back to the others, grateful to see that all of them appeared to be unharmed. "It is good to see that all of you are all right. I was afraid that the A squad might have eliminated you."

All their faces fell as they began reliving what had happened just moments ago. "Actually it was the other way around." Syd still couldn't get the picture out of her head, of the A squad protecting them from Gruumm…

"What do you mean?"

Jack gulped in heavily; he couldn't even bring himself to say it. Bridge then took it upon himself to explain what had happened. "They took a hit that was meant for us, but not before we learned about their pasts."

"Oh dear…" Isinia cried. "The poor dears, all they've ever known was pain." She felt Cruger put his arm around her.

"Did they survive?" asked Cruger.

Bridges face broke up. "I…I..."

Z smiled faintly and gripped his shoulder. "We don't know; Gruumm took us away so fast we didn't get to see." It almost brought tears to her eyes, they were going to help them, help them get their lives back, give them back what Gruumm had taken from them. And then this happened….

"We're sorry we failed you, sir," announced Jack.

"You didn't fail me." Cruger gripped his shoulders. "You did your best, that's all I could ever ask of you." Jack smiled faintly and nodded his head.

Cruger then took his wife's hand. "Rangers, I would like you to meet my wife Isinia."

"But I thought you said…" started Syd.

"It would seem that we were both lied to for many years." Isinia stepped forward. "It is an honor to meet you all. Doggie has told me so much about you."

"The honor's all ours." Jack shook her hand. "It is good to know you survived the attack."

She smiled. "Thank you." She then looked over at Sky, although she had never met him, or his father, she had known that Sky's father was one of the best power rangers there was ever was. She walked up to him. "And it is an even greater honor to meet the son of Wesley Collins, I never met him, but I know he accomplished many things in his time as a ranger." She held out her hand.

For a moment he looked into her eyes, and soon felt himself at ease. Cruger was right, he did need to learn to control his temper, especially now. "Thank you." He shook her hand, and then his eyes wandered over to Cruger. He smiled faintly and shook his head.

* * *

"You're going down, Broodwing, once and for all!" Eric jumped in front of the cadets that had been assisting him. Most of them were young teenagers and not fully trained to handle a monster like Broodwing.

"Do you really think you can protect them?" He grinned. "When you couldn't even protect your partner, _your friend."_

Eric sighed heavily and turned his head, looking at the scared and frightened faces of the cadets, shaking in their boots, but trying to be so brave, faces so young, shouldn't have to be so brave. He turned back and looked Broodwing hard in the eyes, his face becoming serious and determined, as if he could feel all the anger and fury of Wes's death returning to him full force.

Broodwing smirked and he walked circles around Eric. "I should tell you, Gruumm was a fool for putting the hit out on your partner." He stopped right in front of Eric's face. "He wasn't any real threat."

His fist tightened together. How dare he talk of Wes as if he had been nothing; Wes had given his life as a ranger. "You're wrong. Many people wouldn't be alive if it hadn't been for Wes." He raised his wrist up. "This one's for you, Wes." Wes, his best friend, his partner, his brother - he wasn't going to let Wes down, not this time.

The young cadets' eyes widened, as a feeling of hope came through to them. They watched as the long retired ranger and commander fought against Broodwing; most of them hadn't known his name, but they all knew his history as the quantum ranger, as being one of the most feared rangers, throughout the galaxy. "Yeah, go get him, quantum ranger!" they cheered. They soon rejoined in what looked like the never ending battle with the Troobian army.

Sam fought hard, but he was growing weary. He had been fighting for hours to no end. When he had seen Eric arrive his heart skipped a beat; part of him was relieved that he had come, but another part of him was fearful of what could happen next. And now with the rangers captive or dead, it seemed that what he had come back to prevent might have not been prevented at all, only delayed…

He faced off with the Troobians surrounding him. "You won't win. I won't let you!" He used his weapon and twirled around, taking out three Troobians. But the three he had taken down didn't seem to compare to the army of Troobians around him, thousands were still left. "It's happening again…." Even now he could see it happening again, he had been so young, but he still remembered the day he and many of the younger cadets had been sent away, underground. He would later learn of many deaths that would follow among the rangers, and one of those was fighting here today.

"Look around you, you can't win! Gruumm has the rangers. It's hopeless, give up while you still have the chance!" Sam whirled around and watched as Eric and Broodwing circled around.

"If you know me so well, then you would know I don't give up so easily." He took a deep breath. Eric charged at Broodwing, holding his sword firmly.

But Broodwing was ready for him as soon as Eric jumped in the air. He moved quicker than light, up behind him and slashed him in the back. Eric cried out and groaned as he dropped to the ground hard, his helmet visor cracked. He rolled himself over, and watched Broodwing approach him. He heard the Omega Ranger cry his name out, he was vaguely aware that they had never even been introduced. _How does he know who I am_? But right now he needed to worry about getting up and staying alive. He had to stop Broodwing, but his body ached and he was already exhausted from fighting the Troobians.

"Make it easy on yourself, and don't get up." Broodwing raised his sword high above his head.

"NO!" Sam started towards them, but Broodwing quickly turned around and used a small blaster from his belt and shot Sam.

Sam dropped to the ground, stunned, and could only watch helplessly as Broodwing was about to kill one of the greatest rangers the Academy had ever had. His head dropped, not being able to watch, and he felt an enormous amount of guilt about the promise he had made, as it started to come undone. "I'm so sorry, old friend…"

Eric wondered if this was what it had been like for Wes, seeing flashes of his life. His childhood that had been a mix of good and bad, meeting Wes, becoming a ranger, and finally meeting Hayley, starting a family. "I'm sorry, Hails..." And just when he thought it was over a bright light emerged above them….

Broodwing looked up. "What?"

Eric glared up at the bright light and watched as something jumped out of it and now was in between him and Broodwing. "Another ranger? Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the one who's going to save your ass." She turned around. "Broodwing, it's so nice to see you again. I got a little present for you, from the future!"

"The future?" gasped Broodwing.

She tightened her fist and it began to glow. She punched him square in the chest, and watched as he went flying back. She turned back around to Eric. "You okay?" she asked as she held her hand out to help Eric up.

"Yeah." He brushed his uniform off. "Thanks."

Sam came rushing over. "M-…" Nova shot him a look, and even though he couldn't see behind her helmet, he knew she was giving him a look that could kill. "I mean Nova, man am I glad to see you!"

"Nova? What the hell kind of name is Nova?" asked Eric.

Nova looked ahead and saw Broodwing starting to get up; her hit apparently had only knocked the wind out of him. "Do you want the whole name story, or do you want to take care of fish bowl head first?" She picked up Eric's sword and handed it to him. "But together this time, that is if you're up for it."

"I'm always up for it." He smirked. "It's time to show you kids what one of the big boys can do."

"Oh really, if it weren't for me you'd be in little pieces about now!"

"I was just waiting to make my move," he answered.

Sam sighed. "If you two are done arguing, we have a battle to win."

* * *

They weren't sure what had gone on or what to expect. Kat and Boom had snuck around from the back entrance of the academy and had taken one of the trucks. They drove straight to where the B squad had faced off against the A squad. Time definitely wasn't on their side, and if this was some kind of trick, they were walking right into it. But Boom had assured Kat that he didn't believe that the A squad was a threat.

"It doesn't look good," stated Kat as she stopped the truck.

"We have to at least check," urged Boom.

Kat nodded her head, knowing he was right, whether they were on the good side or bad it was the right thing to do. She couldn't just leave them. "Okay, but we go in nice and easy." She opened up the glove compartment and took out a blaster.

The two walked slowly over to the motionless bodies. It didn't appear that any of them had survived the brutal attack. Kat stepped over Cliff's legs and knelt down next to him, as Boom stood a few feet back, waiting for her command. She put the blaster down and slowly moved her hand towards his neck, to feel for a pulse. Time seemed to stop as she waited, and waited… Her head dropped and she turned back to Boom shaking her head.

Boom's head fell. "I'll go gather the gear, so we can at least prepare them for transport."

Kat nodded her head and smiled faintly. She got to her feet, but then was yanked back down. Her heart was racing and her face turned white as a ghost as she turned her head back around and found Cliff looking right at her. His dark eyes glared right through her, sending chills down her back. "…Boom!" she gasped.

Her voice was so soft that he barely had heard her. He turned around and was blown away. "W-Wah…."

Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "That's impossible, you didn't have a pulse!" She couldn't explain it.

Cliff didn't answer. He slowly released his grip that had been firmly holding onto her wrist. He stood up and looked around, at his teammates that were lying on the ground motionless. He knelt down, going from Kane and Kim, to Tusk and Charlie, while Kat and Boom stood back watching, not knowing what to do.

He sighed heavily each time. He closed Charlie's eyes and bowed his head down. They were all gone, like so many things. All he could hope was they were in a better place, no longer having to live in fear and pain. And back with the ones they had all lost so long ago. "May you finally be at peace, my friends." He stood up and headed towards Boom and Kat, but only to pass them by.

"Where are you going?" asked Kat as she started after him.

Cliff stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Someone has to save the other rangers, and I'm the only one here that has access to his ship."

"You can't go alone. You could be killed."

"I've had worse things happen to me." He bit his lip and then turned around and met her eyes, but not before taking one last glance at his friends. They had been through so much over the last twenty years; all any of them wanted was for the nightmare to be over, and maybe now it could be. "Take care of them for me."

Before Boom or Kat could say a word, Cliff was gone in a flash of yellow light. Boom turned back to the remaining four, who had bravely sacrificed themselves to save the B squad. "Do you think he can do it?"

"He may be our only chance at getting the B squad back." She didn't know it then, but something told her there was a reason that Cliff had been able to survive the blast, unlike the others. "We just have to believe he can do it."


	51. Endings Part 6

"Ya-Ohoch!" For the past hour, Jack had been attempting to try to go though the holding cell wall, something that had always been a piece of cake for him. He was about to go at it again, until Z grabbed a hold of him and pulled him back.

"Okay, that's enough."

"I told you, Jack, the force field that's around the bars prevents you from going through with your powers," stated Cruger for the tenth time.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he responded.

And he was right; no one could really blame him for wanting to try. Earth was in danger, their friends and families were in danger. Sam wouldn't be able to last long on his own. They needed to get out of here and soon, otherwise…

"Sir." Syd slowly walked up to Cruger, as if she were a frightened child. "We're going to get out of here, right?"

He just stood there staring in her eyes, looking at him as if he had all the answers, but this time he didn't have all the answers. He didn't know if they could get out of here, whether they would still be alive by the end of the day, whether or not the Earth would still be around a week from now. "I don't know, Syd…"

It finally began to sink in for all of them, that this really could be the end. There would be no tomorrow, see yah later. This was it. A deep silence fell, as all of them sank to the ground, leaning their backs against the walls.

Jack sighed heavily, letting reality sink in. If he had known he would only live to be nineteen years old, maybe he would have tried to track down his parents, tell them how sorry he was for leaving. He knew Z thought he didn't care about them, but the truth was he did care, more then she would ever know. His mind soon drifted to Ally, who had become someone special to him, they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, just yet, and now they might never be.

Syd thought of her parents, the people she loved with all her heart, they had given her everything she could have ever wanted. But right now she would trade all of those things just to know that they would make it through this and that she would see them again.

Bridge had become very quiet; his mind was on his family, but he soon found himself drawing to his teammates, or two of his teammates, as if he were picking up on their feelings. He looked over at Z who sat close to Jack; she really had no one back home, no family, no friends, except maybe for Sam. It hadn't occured to him until then just how lucky he was.

He looked over at Sky, who had been keeping to himself ever since his blow out with Commander Cruger. Sky was the opposite of Z, he had people back home that cared about him, whether he chose to believe it or not.

Cruger felt at a loss of what to do. And Isinia felt helpless, nothing she could have said would do much good. All seemed hopeless; it would take a miracle for them to make it through this….

* * *

"I'm bored, when do we get to have some fun!" whined Mora, as she ran up to Gruumm who was heading towards the chamber room where Omni was.

Gruumm muttered under his breath. He was starting to grow annoyed with her. She was more of a nuisance to him than a help. None of her monster creations had been able to defeat the rangers; no, he had to get them on his own. "Soon, now go play. I have something very important that I must do."

"But I'm bored, you promised you'd play a game with me," she yelled and slammed her foot down.

"MORA, GO!" he roared into her face. He laughed as she yelled and ran away from him. He sighed heavily and started back towards the chamber room where Omni, his master, was kept. "Kids…"

**Else where**...

Cliff had made it safely aboard Gruumm's ship without anyone seeing him. He was in Gruumm's chamber room. No one was in sight. He looked around the room and then his eyes fell onto a table where the ranger morphers were: just what he was looking for. He quickly scooped them up and was on his way. He knew there wasn't much time left. He needed to move fast, Omni's power suit was complete and Gruumm would soon be sending him to Earth. And then the biggest battle of their lives would be before them.

He peered out the chamber door, checking to see if the coast was clear of Krybots, not that they would be a problem for him. At least they didn't used to be, but that was before he turned on Gruumm. He moved back a few feet when he saw a shadow coming towards him; it kept on coming closer and closer. His heart raced with fear, thinking it was Gruumm. He moved back further, until he was backed up against the wall. "Shit. I'm toast." There would be no questions asked, Gruumm would kill him right where he stood.

"Who's there!" yelled a soft demanding voice. It wasn't Gruumm, at all, but something just as bad.

"Mora…" She might just be a child, but she was plenty dangerous. He took a deep breath as the door opened, and found young Mora staring right at him.

"You? I thought you were dead." She walked up to him and kicked him in the leg. "Traitor, you made friends with the no-good humans!" And she really did sound offended, as if she had really looked up to him and the others. "How could you? They killed our parents, or have you forgotten?"

She really was a victim herself, like himself and the others; she had been lied to. She believed the lies Gruumm had fed to her, just as he once had. Maybe he could help her see the truth as he had, but… Mora was more complicated. She had just been a baby when she was taken. They had changed her, made her older than she was and now her mind was under the control of Omni. For all he knew Mora could be lost, but he had to try. After all she was the daughter of his mother's closest friends, even though he hadn't realized that until that moment, until the truth had settled in and became clearer. "Mora, let me explain, you don't-"

"Explain what!" she shrieked. "I'm going to get Gruumm!" She turned and started towards the door. "Oh Gruu-"

"No!" Cliff moved fast and grabbed a hold of her, putting his hand over her mouth before she could yell out for Gruumm.

He realized that until Omni was destroyed it would be useless to try to get through to Mora. He placed her in a closet. "I'll come back for you."

"Hey, this isn't fair. You can't do this-"

Cliff quickly shut the closet door and went on his way in search of the rangers, ignoring Mora's pleas as she pounded on the closet door.

* * *

Gruumm bowed in front of Omni. "Soon, my master, Cruger will be defeated and I will have my revenge and once-"

"I care nothing of your conflict with Cruger," hissed Omni as his one eye moved right into Gruumm's face, staring him down. For years he had controlled Gruumm, it even had been part of his devious plan to capture the children, but like most things Gruumm had screwed that up. They had turned and now were dead; all that remained was Mora.

"But-"

"I have spoken. Only once the Earth has been destroyed and humanity beaten, only then will you have your revenge upon Doggie Cruger."

"Of course, my master."

"Now, is my body complete?"

"Yes, we can begin now if you like. I have the rangers captured here, the Earth is yours for the taking, and we are in its atmosphere as we speak."

"Yes," he hissed. "Let us begin."

* * *

"It is time for your demise humans!" announced an orange Krybot as he and four blue heads approached their cells, each holding powerful blasters. He eyed Cruger and Isinia. "Emperor Gruumm will deal with you two himself." He opened the cell and they surrounded it so no one could get out.

"No!" roared Cruger, going at the orange head, but only to be hit by a stun beam, by one of the blue heads.

"Doggie!" cried Isinia, as she ran to him and knelt by his side.

The orange head prepared his blaster. "As I said, you'll be dealt with later." He turned his attention back to the rangers. "Now, which one of you wants to go first?"

"I will!" announced Sky loudly. "Take me first." He moved in front of his friends until he was just a few feet from the orange Krybot.

"Sky, are you sure about this?"

"Trust me on this, Jack. This is the way it's got to be." Sky looked at his attacker, determined, willing, and ready for what was ahead of him. "Ready when you are."

The orange head laughed as he pulled the trigger and waited for it to hit the blue ranger, but it never did. Just before it was about to hit Sky, a shield formed in front of him and expanded; all the rangers were protected. "Fire now!" Several blasts were fired, but none of them were able to go through.

"Seems you got a problem there, orangie."

The orange head turned around and found Cliff standing behind him. "You? I thought you were down on Earth."

Cliff smiled wryly and took a quick glance at the rangers before looking back at the orange Krybot. "I was, but I got bored." He moved around so that he was now in front of the rangers. "So it looks like you're having a bit of a problem, huh?"

The orange head was starting to grow suspicious, but had no reason to. Cliff and the others had always been on their side. "Yes, you could say that."

"I could help you." He grinned. "You know. Take down that force field for you." He moved his hands behind his back, on the other side the rangers could see their morphers. "Just tell me when you're ready and I'll get out of your way and you can blast them into oblivion."

The orange head turned to his counterparts; they nodded their heads. He looked back to Cliff. "Ready."

"Good. It's going to be a blast." Cliff counted to ten in his head. It was a dangerous move and he would only get one chance, so he had to do it exactly right. "Rangers, now!" He jumped in the air, doing a flip, just as Sky released the shield. Cliff went right over the rangers' heads, dropping their morphers rights into their hands. They morphed quickly and blasted the Krybots away, before they could even say a word.

"Good work, rangers!" announced Cruger as he and his wife stood up.

"Power down!" The rangers unmorphed and all turned to Cliff, who had started out as an enemy but had became the one to save all of their lives.

"Cliff!" Cruger's voice roared loudly, like he was going to bite his head off. Cliff tensed up, a little afraid, but knew he had it coming, he just hadn't expected it. "Good work!" Cruger patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." Z smiled and took a hold of his arm. "You saved us, thank you."

He smiled faintly. "It was the least I could do, after everything's that's happened."

"Are the others okay?" asked Syd, eager to know what had become of the remaining A squad rangers.

He sighed heavily; he didn't even need to say it. The look on his face was enough to show what had become of his teammates.

"We need to move fast, rangers. I fear it could already be too late," announced Cruger. "Return to Earth and save the academy." He turned to his wife. "I want you to go with them."

She sighed heavily, but knew it was for the best. In order for him to fight Gruumm, he needed to know she was somewhere safe. "Of course." She kissed him gently on the cheek. "Just promise me that it won't be another twelve years until I see you again."

"I promise." He had spent more than a decade believing he had lost her forever; there was no way he was going to let anything tear them apart. He eyed Cliff. "Cliff, I want you to stay here with me, I may need you for this fight."

"I'd be honored to fight along side you, sir."

"I'm staying too, sir," announced Sky in a firm voice, as if he has already decided it long ago.

"Sky-" started Cruger.

"Gruumm ordered Merlock to kill my father. This is something I need to do, sir, for _me_." It wasn't just something he wanted to do. It was something he had to do. He needed to see the look on Gruumm's face when they took him down once and for all. Years ago Gruumm had ordered one of his followers to take away the only thing that was dear to him. It was something he would never be able to get back.

"I'm sorry, Sky, but I can't let your personal feelings get in the way." He gripped his shoulder. "Your team needs you more."

"But sir-"

"That's an order." He looked Sky hard in the eyes. "Disobey me and I will have you removed from the academy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly."

"Good."

* * *

Eric, Sam and Nova handled Broodwing, while the cadets fought off the Troobian army. Already the ground was littered with bodies from both sides. Cadets and others had bravely sacrificed themselves for the cause.

The battle reminded Eric of that one grim day going back almost twenty years ago. A day when nearly a hundred Silver Guardians had lost their lives protecting the city of Silver Hills. A day when he came close to losing his own life several times; if it hadn't been for Wes he probably wouldn't have made it. They had made it through that day and lived to tell the tale, so he knew they could make it through this day.

Broodwing kicked Eric hard in the chest, sending the quantum ranger flying right into a tree. Eric's body dropped and rolled to the ground. Sam knelt down to him and gripped his shoulder. "Rest here, we'll take care of him." He looked to Nova. "Right, Nova?"

"Right!"

Eric watched as the two ran towards Broodwing. He took a moment to pick himself up from the ground. He was pretty beaten up, his helmet was busted and his suit was a mess. He threw off his helmet and tossed it to the ground. He whipped the blood dripping from his lip off. He locked his eyes hard on Broodwing, watching as he fought off Sam and Nova. Both of them were excellent fighters, but even they weren't powerful enough to defeat him. "It's time to end this!" He picked up his sword from the ground, tightening his hands around it.

"Your time is up, Broodwing!" Eric's voice rang loud as he charged. He jumped on top of Sam's and Nova's shoulders, doing a flip over Broodwing, landing right behind him.

Broodwing didn't stand a chance, three rangers on all sides of him. He turned towards Eric, thinking he would be the easier target, but he would later learn that was a mistake. "Go to hell!"

"You first!" Eric snarled, as he slashed Broodwing with all his might. Nova and Sam soon followed, hitting Broodwing's back side. The three stepped back and watched as Broodwing dropped to the ground in a powerful explosion that took out some of the Troobians.

Eric took deep breaths as he stepped around Broodwing's unmoving body; he kicked it with his foot, but Broodwing never budged. They had defeated him, but this was only the beginning. Something far worse was coming, and from the look of the darkened sky it was going to be soon. Eric turned to Sam and Nova. "Get everyone prepared, this isn't over yet."

"Yes sir!" yelled Sam, as he ran to help the cadets fight the remaining members of the Troobian army, which were soon joined by over thousands of Krybots. _He's coming_, Sam thought, he knew if they didn't win this battle he wouldn't have a future to go back to. "Come on, cadet's, we can do this!"

Eric stepped around to the side and leaned against a building, taking a deep breath. He was exhausted, to say the least, and he was more than sure he already had several broken ribs. But he couldn't let that stop him, as he watched the battle carry on. He watched as the cadets and Sam fought against the powerful army. He was all they had. He couldn't quit now….

"Are you all right? Maybe you should step out, let Sam and me handle this." Nova walked up to him; concern filled her voice.

"I'm fine. Just needed a minute." He pulled away from the building, but was just barely able to stand on his own. "Come on, let's go finish this." He gripped her shoulder.

* * *

Sky was more than just angry that Commander Cruger had denied his request to join him in taking down Gruumm. How could he do that to him? He knew how important it was to him, to take Gruumm down; it was because of him his father was dead. He needed to see the look of fear in Gruumm's eyes, watching as all his plans and dreams fell to pieces, just as his own dreams and plans had been shattered after his father's death.

He sighed heavily, knowing the others wouldn't understand. They all thought he was too serious, too pigheaded and had too much of an ego. Maybe they were right, but this was still something that was important to him, it was not just something he wanted to do, but something he needed to do, for himself. It would be his way of making peace, taking the pain away that he had been holding in all these years.

"There's the portal, just like Cliff said," announced Bridge as he walked up to it. It was a bright, shiny and colorful bulb of light, their ticket home, _that's if they still had a home_. "So who wants to go first?"

"I think you should test it out first, greenie," said Z, as she playfully pushed Bridge into the portal. A moment later and he was gone.

Z smirked. "Guess it works." She turned to Jack. "See yah on the other side, bro."

"I'll be right behind you." He smiled. Once Z had gone through the portal, all that remained was himself, Syd, Sky, and Cruger's wife. "Guess it's my turn."

"Go ahead, Syd," smiled Sky. "Ladies first."

She couldn't place it, but there was something in the sound of his voice, like he was hiding something. "You aren't going to do something stupid once I go through, are you?"

He had to give her that, she might be a dumb blonde at times, but she always did have her ways of knowing other's true intentions. "When have I ever done anything stupid?"

Isinia stepped in and smiled kindly at Syd. "Don't worry, Sydney, I'll make sure he gets out okay."

Syd nodded her head and smiled. She stepped towards the portal, but took one last look over at Sky, as if something told her it might be for the last time. Which was silly, he was going to go right after her. She shook the thought off and headed into the portal, to join the others back on Earth.

"Look-"

"You don't have to say anything. I know when a man has made up his mind," answered Isinia.

"Then you understand what I have to do."

"I understand." She walked up to him so they were face to face. "But I also know doing this won't fix things."

"I won't know if I don't try." He nodded his head and turned around and started down the hall, until her heard Isinia calling back for him.

"Is doing this worth losing your place at SPD?"

He didn't even have to think about it. He looked over his shoulder and answered. "That's a risk I'm just going to have to take."

"And what do I tell your friends?"

"Tell them I'm sorry." And with that said, Sky disappeared down the walkway…


	52. The Final Battle Part 1

The battle was growing fierce; things did seem to have gotten better after Broodwing had been defeated. But all of them knew this was only the beginning. The darkened sky and loud rage of thunder and lighting gave little hope that this would be over anytime soon. Already they had lost several members of SPD and of the branch from Silver Hills.

Eric tried not to think about the losses as he fought off Troobian forces, slashing them with his sword with quick flashes of moves and then quickly switching to blaster mode. His face was covered with blood; Broodwing had cracked his helmet and he had no choice but to toss it to the ground.

But it was hard not to think about them. He knew most of them by name, they had families, lives, and now… Eric shook his head; he needed to snap back into the battle, everyone was depending upon him to lead them. And from the look of things they were going to need him. "Stand together, everyone, we're going to get through this!"

Sam and Nova fought side by side, watching each other's backs. Ever since they were young teenagers they had trained together, learning each other's moves; they knew everything about each other. They too, like Eric, were growing tired, like many of the cadets, but unlike the others they had been faced with battles like this day in and day out. Their whole life had just been a battle to survive.

"We have to get through this, Sam. We have to win this!" Nova waited and watched as three Troobians surrounded her and Sam, growling and making mocking remarks to them. "I can't go back to the future that we came from."

It was a horrible place where they had come from. A place Gruumm had taken for his own, and unlike the other planets he had destroyed, he decided to keep Earth intact and use its inhabitants as his slaves. "We'll get through this. We've been through worse." Sam and Nova moved quickly and worked together, combining their moves, and took out the three Troobians that had been surrounding them. "And besides, we have one of the best fighting along with us."

Sam turned and watched Eric as he led the cadets straight into an army of Troobians, leading them as if he had done it all his life, as if he were born to lead. Nova walked up behind him. "He is one of the best, isn't he?"

"He sure is."

* * *

Cliff and Cruger made their way through the ship that appeared empty. The Krybots mostly had already left for Earth, but Gruumm still remained aboard the ship that was nearing Earth. And an even great source of evil could be felt as well….

Cliff stopped still in his tracks, finally realizing what he was doing. Ever since he had joined the academy, he had resented Cruger, or was taught to. He had been raised to believe Cruger was his enemy and he had still thought so just hours before, but now… "Sir…" He felt that there was something he should say, something he should do. Try to take back the damage that had been done, but he knew no amount of words could undo the mistake that he had made.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out later." Cruger looked over his shoulder. "Right now, Gruumm is our primary task."

"Of course, sir." He nodded his head and they started back on their way. Today would be the day he would avenge his parents' deaths, his friends and their family. Gruumm would not be allowed to repeat the cruelty that had been imposed upon him and the others. No other would grow in the horror he had grown up believing. He would not allow Gruumm to see the light of another day, even if that meant…..

* * *

"We're back!' exclaimed Z, as one by one she and her teammates appeared, back on Earth. They had landed near the area where they had fought against the A squad. They didn't even notice the missing bodies of the A squad. They were too overjoyed to be back home; everyone was hugging each other and thankful they had all gotten away in one piece.

Syd look around, noticing that they were missing someone. _Sky…_ She looked around a second time, but still he was nowhere in sight. Where was he? "Has anyone seen Sky?" Her voice broke up the joyous moment and soon the smiles faded as they too could not seem to find their friend.

"Sky!" yelled out Jack. "Where are you?" He turned around in circles, but still saw no sign of their young friend. "He didn't already head back to the academy, did he?"

"He came through the portal with you, right?" asked Z, walking up to Syd.

"Ye- I…" And then Syd remembered and it finally hit her. She turned around to face Isinia, who would have been the last of them who would have seen Sky. "He did come through with you, didn't he?"

Isinia was silent, as all eyes were on her. She smiled faintly. "I am sorry, ranger, but he chose to stay behind and defeat Gruumm."

"Great," sighed Jack. "I should have known this would happen." And the thought had occurred to him as they were walking towards the portal that Sky would find some way to stay behind. A part of him even agreed with Sky, that he should be allowed to face off with Gruumm, but even he knew Cruger was right for not wanting Sky to join him. Jack just thought that Sky had a little more sense then this.

"I can't really blame him." Bridge probably was one of the few who totally got Sky, mostly because of his pychic abilities. He knew things about Sky that the others probably didn't know or wouldn't even believe. He knew deep down that Sky did consider all of them his friends, even if he didn't really show it. "Gruumm did give the order to kill Sky's dad."

"Still, that doesn't give him the right to just ditch us." Z crossed her arms against her chest. "This is just like him, to go off and do his own thing." Then again, she knew if she were in Sky's shoes she'd probably have done the same thing. But a part of her still felt that Sky had abandoned them.

"Did he say anything?" asked Syd. She wasn't sure why it would matter or not. _It wasn't like she loved him or anything, right… _But they were friends, teammates; that had to count for something. They had already been through so much together this past year, all of that couldn't have been for nothing. At least it hadn't been nothing to her; didn't Sky feel the same way?

"That he was sorry…" She was about to say something else, until a new voice interrupted.

_"Jack come in, if you can hear me…" _It was Sam._ "I'm picking up on your signal; are you and the others back on Earth?"_

"Yeah, we're back," answered Jack. "What's up?"

_"You need to get over to the academy as fast as you can. We have defeated most of the Troobian army, but an army of Krybots are heading our way."_

"We'll be there right away. Just hang in there, Sam."

_"Will do. Nova, Eric, the cadets, and I will hold them back until you can get here. Sam out."_

"Who's Nova and Eric?" asked Z; those were names she had never heard before.

"Don't look at me. Never heard of them." Syd shrugged her shoulders.

"I wonder if Eric is the same guy that's Sky's uncle," said Bridge, who knew that Sky did have an uncle by that name. "Which would make sense; he's the quantum ranger. He was Sky's dad's partner, back when SPD first started here. My parents told me about him. I read about him in old newspaper-"

"Bridge!" yelled Z, who was starting to get more than a little annoyed with her young green friend. "We get the picture." Z got into the truck, along with Syd and Isinia who had taken their places in the back. Jack hopped into the driver's seat.

"Sorry Bridge, you're going to have to take Sky's bike."

"But won't he need it?" brought up Syd, as Bridge got onto the bike and put the helmet on his head.

"Do you see Sky here, Syd?" responded Jack. If his voice had been a little harsh, he didn't mean for it to be, he was just a little frustrated and tired…. He sighed heavily; he needed to put that behind him for now. There were more important things to be concerned with. He started up the engine. "Let's go save our home." Jack put the truck in gear and sped off with Bridge following close behind him.

* * *

With the others back on Earth, Sky roamed the ship in search of Gruumm. This was it, his chance to get back at Gruumm for what he had done. He didn't care what Cruger would have to say about it or even if it would cost him his place at SPD. He didn't even care what his friends would think of his actions, it wasn't like they even wanted to get involved in this to begin with. They didn't understand why this meant so much to him, no one understood. Finding and defeating Gruumm was more important to him than anything in the world.

Sky came upon a chamber room where he heard voices. Thinking it was Cruger and Gruumm he entered, but what he found was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was an alien of some type, that looked like an overgrown brain. It was Omni. He had heard stories, but never thought any of them to be real. He pulled out his blaster, knowing Omni was one thing that shouldn't be kept alive. "Nighty-night, freak!"

"Not so fast, Schuyler Tate." Omni's eye moved right up to Sky's face, scaring the living hell out of him. "Or should I call you Schuyler Collins; that is your real name, isn't it?"

Sky took a deep breath, and got a hold of himself. He couldn't let Omni see that he was frightened. "How do you know who I am?" he demanded.

"I know everything about you," he hissed. With his only eye he could see everything about Sky. He could see his past, his memories, and his worst fears. "I know you feel that Cruger doesn't give you the respect you deserve, treats you like a child, doesn't think you're worthy of being the red ranger, like your father. That your friends resent you and don't understand you."

Sky felt his heart skip a beat, as a shiver went down his back, as he continued to listen to Omni as if he had some kind of hold on him.

"Cruger's a fool for not appointing you red ranger." Omni had ways to get control over those that he wanted, but his ways were subtle. He made it so that it didn't appear he had any hold, a trick he had learned long ago. "It should have been your birthright." He hissed his words into Sky's ear. Already he could tell that Sky was an easy target. The young man was filled with so much anger, all he had to do was play into Sky's mind, make him eat up his words. It would be like taking candy from a baby.

"My birthright?" Sky played the words over and over in his mind. His father had been red ranger, it had always made sense to him that he would one day be red ranger, but then Cruger had crushed that dream by appointing him blue ranger.

"Yes…" he hissed. "Stick with me, Sky, and you'll be the most powerful being in the universe, more powerful than Gruumm. I'll give you the strength of ten red rangers, more power than you ever dreamed of. That would be more than enough power for you to defeat Gruumm."

Sky gulped in heavily, as his hands shook. His fingers tightened around the trigger. His eyes then began to drift; he was losing his focus and he had no one around to give him any backup. With that kind of power he would be able to defeat Gruumm once and for all. It was almost too much for him to resist the offer, but somehow he knew his father wouldn't share in the offer, no matter how great it sounded.

He shook his head to snap back into reality, finally realizing what was happening. Omni was trying to gain control of him, by giving him the power he desired. "So is talking all you got? Because from the look of things, it seems you're missing your body. Meaning you're an easy target." Sky's eyes became sterner. "You could offer me the power of a thousand red rangers and my answer still would be no."

Omni was silent for a moment, as if he was searching for something deeper, something meaningful and that's when he found it. He laughed inside of himself. He had found the one key piece that would bring Sky falling to his knees. It was the one thing he knew Sky could not resist. "Perhaps that isn't what you _really _want."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Now shut-up and I'll make it quick," Sky snapped in reply. He was growing tired of Omni toying with his mind and just wanted to end things once and for all. "Now, any last words before I blow your brains to pieces?"

Omni laughed. "I like that, straight to the point. A quality that Gruumm has yet to learn." He waited for a few moments. He could hear Sky press his fingers against the blaster. "What if I gave you the _one_ thing that no one else can give you…"

"Do you ever not talk-"

"…I can give you back your mother and grandfather." He waited a moment and then, "…and as an added bonus," his eye leered closer sending chills down Sky's spine. "_Your father."_

Sky's blaster dropped to the ground and the room became silent. He was dead still, not moving a muscle. Omni had picked up on the very thing that he wanted back more than anything. The one thing no one, no matter how hard they tried, could ever give back to him, not in a million years. "Y-you're lying."

"Am I?" Omni moved his eye away from Sky and then began to use it to project pictures, of Sky's grandfather, father and mother. _His mother_, Sky about lost it when he saw her face. He had forgotten her face, the way she smiled, her long brown hair and the sound of her voice when she whispered. He could feel all of his memories of her returning to him, memories he thought had been lost forever.

It about broke his heart when he saw his grandfather appear in the images, the man who had raised him for seven years, the man who had tried so hard to make him the happiest boy in the world. Sky about lost it when his father appeared in the flashes, his hero, his everything. "You see, Sky, I can give them back to you. All you have to do is leave and your family will be returned to you."

It seemed all too easy…. Sky hesitated. He didn't know what to do. His eyes remained content on the images flashing over and over, becoming glued into his mind. He was beginning to forget what was right and wrong, everything he had ever learned was starting to drift further and further away. "Mom…Grandpa….Dad…" He could almost hear their voices, calling his name. He could almost see all of them together, like they had never spent a day apart.

"Just say it, Sky, and they are yours forever. Forget SPD! Forget Cruger, and the other rangers! They never really cared for you. They didn't understand about your friendship with Dru, or why being red ranger was so important to you. They're not your _real_ family."

Sky felt his knees give way and he dropped to the ground. And for the first time, he didn't know what to do. His heart was torn at the decision he had to make, one that could have drastic results. He either had to abandon his friends or lose his family forever…..


	53. The Final Battle Part 2

Sky was on his knees, his head down and hands over his ears, trying to make the voices go away. But they were overpowering and he saw quick flashes in his head of what his life would have been like if the people he loved hadn't died, if his mother hadn't gotten sick, if his father hadn't died by Merlock's hand and if his grandfather hadn't died of a broken heart. "Make it stop! Make it stop! Nooooo!" he roared….

And then the voices were gone and all was still. He slowly removed his hands from his ears and started to open his eyes. To find he no longer was where he had been. "What? Where am I?" Omni was nowhere in sight. _This had to be some kind of trick. Where had Omni taken him? _But the more he looked around, he didn't find the place frightening, in fact he found it warm and safe, almost peaceful.

Sky started walking down the halls and turned into one of the rooms. He found furniture neatly arranged, pictures on the walls, and the more he stared at them the more the people in the picture looked familiar to him. And the more he thought about it so did this place. There was something very familiar about this place, too familiar. And that's when it hit him. "I'm home." He didn't have time for all the feelings he was experiencing to sink in. When…..

"Schuyler, honey." A young woman walked into the living room. She was beautiful, with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes. His heart almost stopped beating, seeing his mother looking well and healthy, as if she had never been sick a day in her life.

"I'm-…" Sky found his voice being cut off, as a young boy ran into the living room with a puppy chasing behind him. He fell back a few feet, that boy… It was him, he was thirteen years younger, but it was him.

"Right here, Mom!"

"There you are." Jen smiled, as she knelt down and fixed her son's hair which was a mess. "I swear you're just as bad as your father."

"Ah, Mom, stop it, you're messing it up," said Sky as he ran his hands through his hair after his mother had fixed it.

"Now, Jen honey, what did the doctor say about you bending down?"

Sky's heart almost stopped as he saw his father walk into the room. Wes helped his mother to her feet and that's when he realized she was pregnant. He was going to……_He would have had a younger brother or sister._

"I'm fine." She smiled. "And as I recall, you're the one who's supposed to be taking it easy," she pointed out. "You were just released from the hospital last week."

Wes grinned, looking down at his right arm which was in a sling, then pulling Jen closer to him with his left hand. "I know, but you know me, can't ever sit still." He leaned closer and gently kissed her on the lips. "Which is why I had to get out of that place; besides, I like the scenery here a whole lot better." He chuckled as he kissed her again with another loving kiss.

"Uncle Eric's right, you two need to get a room," said a little voice.

Both Jen and Wes grinned and stepped a few feet back, and turned to the little boy who was looking up at them all questioningly, with Trip their new puppy wagging its tail. Wes knelt down and gripped his son's shoulders. "Sky, how 'bout you go take Trip out back, and I'll meet you out there in a little bit so we can teach him some tricks."

The boy smiled excitedly. "Okay, Dad! Come on Trip, let's go play." Young Sky went running out of the living room with his dog following behind him, barking playfully, while older Sky continued to watch his parents. He could tell right away they loved each other very much. More than all the world. It seemed so unfair that they weren't able to spend the rest of their lives together.

"And as for you..." Wes turned back to Jen, pulling her once again into his arms, as they shared another loving kiss. "You should go and rest. The baby could come any day now." They kissed again.

"Only if you promise to make it up to me." Their kisses grew more passionate, as Jen wrapped her arms around Wes, as tightly as she could.

Wes chuckled under his breath. "As I recall, that's exactly why this happened." He grinned, as he placed his hand on her stomach and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Dad!" called out Sky.

Jen grinned. "Go on, get out of here." She playfully pushed him. "Just be careful, you don't need any more broken bones."

Sky watched as his father and mother both went their separate ways out of the living room. He was vaguely aware that they couldn't see or hear him. It was like he was a ghost reliving a past that could have been. He walked around the place that once had been his home until he came around to the back window of the house, so he could watch as his younger self ran around the yard with his father and dog.

It was like he was reliving the childhood he had always wanted, but in the back of his mind he kept on telling himself this was some kind of trick, it wasn't real. But the more he watched his father and young Sky, the more he felt drawn to whatever this was….

On the table in front of him was a newspaper clipping. **Commander Wesley Collins amazing survival of brutal attack…** Sky picked the clipping up and began to scan through it. "He lived…" His father had survived the attack and had captured Merlock. He had broken several ribs, his arms, and had gotten several cuts all over his body, but he had lived. He hadn't died. Merlock was safely locked away in prison. And as Sky read on, he learned that Eric had survived as well, very much like how he had before. The only thing that was different was no one had died that day.

"_You see, Sky, I can give you the life you always wanted, just say the word and you can have all you have seen." _As Omni's words played over in his mind Sky looked out the window and in the pit of his stomach he knew this wasn't going to be an easy decision. In fact this would be the hardest decision he would ever have to make.

"What am I going to do….."

* * *

"Yes," hissed Gruumm as he stood outside the bridge of his monstrous ship, staring at the Earth. "Soon you'll be mine for the taking."

"Not this time, Gruumm!"

Gruumm turned around and found Cliff and Cruger standing in the entranceway. He clenched his fist together furiously and then grabbed hold of his staff which was leaning against the ledge. His eyes set immediately on Cliff. "You should be dead like the others, how'd you survive?"

Cruger himself had asked the same question. How had Cliff survived, while the others didn't? What made him so different that he was able to withstand Gruumm's killing blow?

"I think I would be more concerned with what's going to happen to you in the next few seconds," roared Cliff; his face was filled with rage and anger. He held nothing but hatred for Gruumm, but he knew if he let that hatred consume him he would be right back to where he was before, becoming the very thing he despised.

"Your time has come, Gruumm." Cruger stepped forward, holding out his badge "You're under arrest!"

"It's too late." Gruumm grinned and turned his eyes back towards the Earth. "As we speak, someone even more powerful than myself is heading towards your precious Earth."

In horror, Cliff and Cruger watched as a large massive body headed towards the Earth. A shiver went down Cliff's back and his face turned white as a ghost. He knew all too well just what was inside controlling that body, an evil greater than even himself. "Omni…"

Cruger felt like his heart had skipped a beat. _Omni…_There had been stories going around that the powerful being known as Omni was alive. That he had somehow survived.

But Cruger, like many, liked to believe that the monstrous beast had been long dead. Now it was all starting to make sense. It had been Omni all along, using Gruumm as a pawn for his own destruction.

Gruumm was pleased with their reaction. He laughed, in his glory. "Earth won't stand a chance, not even your rangers will be able to defeat Omni. He's far too powerful."

And as much as they both hated to admit it, he was right. Omni would be too much for them to handle, especially now, while inside the protected body, no one would be able to defeat him.

"We may not be able to stop Omni, but we sure as hell can stop you." Cliff pulled out his morpher. His face was determined. Today would be the day he would finally stand up to Gruumm, for all those who had fallen prey to his havoc. He would make sure that his friends' deaths hadn't been in vain. Today was going to be the day Gruumm would meet defeat and go down hard. "Are you with me, Commander?"

"Yes." Cruger pulled out his morpher. "Let's finish this!" Together the two morphed and faced off into battle with Gruumm, knowing time wasn't on their side. Every second they spent here was one second longer that Omni would have to destroy the Earth.

* * *

"Looks like we got here just in time!" announced Jack as he and the others raced from their vehicles to join Sam, the cadets and their two new friends. The Troobian army had been defeated, but there was still an enormous number of Krybots lurking about.

"You sure did," exclaimed Sam, taking a deep breath. He wasn't sure how long he had been fighting; he had lost track sometime around the first round of battles. But he wasn't about to step back now, not when his friends still needed him. He wasn't going to lose them, not this time, not when they still had a chance.

"You guys better suit up," Eric said as he turned to Jack and the others. He then quickly waved over at some of the cadets who were exhausted. "Head inside and head for cover, we got it from here!"

"Yes sir!" responded the group of cadets, as they ran inside. The remaining cadets raced in front of the rangers to fight off the Krybots, giving them a moment to regroup and get a plan in order.

Eric turned back to the rangers and noticed they were missing someone. The very ranger he had come here in search of. _Sky…_ "Where's Sky?" Concern filled his eyes; had something happened to him? Had Gruumm killed him? He couldn't bear the thought of losing Sky to the very being who had ordered Merlock to kill his father. When no one answered: "Where is he dammit! Answer me!"

Nova stood behind Eric, and seemed concerned as well, but no one could know for sure just what kind of reaction was hiding behind her helmet.

The ranger shared glances back and forth with each other. And not one of them could seem to get the words out. Syd's face was distraught, very much how Eric was looking at them now. Jack partially felt guilty that Sky wasn't with them. He was the leader; it was his job to make sure they all stuck together. And Z didn't seem to know just what to do; part of her found it hard to believe that someone actually cared about Sky. Sky had always seemed like a loner, kept to himself and always acted as though he didn't need anyone nor had anyone.

Bridge was the one who finally stepped forward. He could sense right away just how much Eric cared about Sky; maybe even more than Sky would actually admit to believing. "Mr. Myers, quantum ranger, sir… He-He…Sky, he decided to…ummm—"

And then Eric knew… He knew where Sky was, and what Sky was planning on doing. He clenched his fists together, angry and frustrated. _How could Sky be so stupid!_ But he knew all too well that Sky was too much like his parents, always thinking with his heart and not his head. "Dammit, Sky!"

Nova had only been partially listening when her eyes shot up to the darkened sky and saw something heading right at them. And it was getting bigger and bigger with each and every passing second. Her heart was racing, and then she knew the final battle was upon them. She turned and gripped Eric's shoulder. "Commander Myers!"

"What?" answered Eric irritably, but that all soon changed when he saw why Nova had motioned to him. His eyes, along with everyone else's, grew wider and wider, as they saw a large massive body drop down in front of them. Many of the cadets jumped a few feet back, some ran in fear and some just stood there too scared to move. By now the Krybots had taken off, giving their master all the room he needed. "What in the---"

"Oh no, it's Omni!" exclaimed Isinia.

"Omni?" Eric's heart raced in fear. "No. It can't be…." _He couldn't be…_

"Prepare for your demise! Your doom is near," hissed Omni, as he stared down at the small specks surrounding him. He laughed under his breath as he recognized one of them from long ago, a face from his past. "Well, if it isn't the great Eric Myers, the quantum ranger. It's been what, fifteen years?"

Eric felt sick to his stomach as he heard Omni's words whip right into his ear. Sam turned to Eric. "You know him?" But Eric didn't reply, Sam turned to Nova, but she shook her head and shrugged her shoulder.

"I still haven't forgotten what you and your partner did to me…"

_Early 2006…_

_It had been a top secret mission. To this day, Hayley didn't even know about it. Not even Wes's father knew of it. All he had been told was he and Eric needed to go out of town for a couple of days. It had been set up by Andros, needing to send them on a special mission. Little Mora had just been born a couple weeks before and the other ranger's were out on another mission._

"_It should only take three days, tops," he had assured them. _

_And that's when the two of them found themselves facing a being unlike any they had ever faced before. Omni hadn't been the best fighter, but had a powerful mind and had tried to gain control of them. Despite his great efforts, they were able to overthrow and defeat the then six foot tall monstrous beast. Only receiving minor injuries, Wes had gotten cut on his ankle and he had gotten his arm scratched up. It was nothing compared to the damage they had inflicted upon Omni; there was nothing left of him after they had gotten through with him. _

"_You alright, Wes?" asked Eric, taking a deep breath and demorphing, seeing that Wes was slightly limping._

"_Yeah, I'm fine." Wes kept his eyes locked onto Omni who was barely moving a muscle, his breaths getting smaller. "You alright?"_

"_Yeah. Come on, let's end this." The two nodded their heads and walked up to the almost lifeless body, blasters in hand._

_Omni stared up at the two angrily, vengeance filled his eyes. He had been unable to gain control of their minds and his skills had never been in fighting techniques. "I swear to you, you will regret this. One day when you least suspect it I will have my revenge for what you have done to me. And then the Earth will be mine."_

_Wes laughed. "The Earth will never be yours, not as long as I'm still around to protect it."_

"_That can be arranged." His eyes locked hard on Wes, enough to send chills down Wes's back. "I promise you, Wesley Collins, you will not live to see your son's seventh…" BANG…_

_Eric shot Omni several times with his blaster, until Omni was lifeless. He waited a few moments, just checking, making sure he was gone. When there was no movement he put his blaster on his belt and gripped Wes's shoulder. "Come on, let's go home. I bet the squirt's waiting up for ya."_

_Wes remained still for a few moments, his eyes on Omni, as Omni's final words played over in his head. **I promise you, Wesley Collins, you will not live to see your son's seventh…" **And an eerie feeling came over him of a haunting fear, but he shook his head. Omni was gone, he was dead. There was no need to worry. It must just be his mind playing tricks on him. "Yeah." He smiled faintly. "Home sounds pretty good."_

Omni laughed. "You thought you had killed me, but all you killed was my body. My mind, however, was very much alive. All I had to do was wait it out and soon someone did find me."

"Gruumm…" finished Jack, as he started to see where all of this was going and began to see a connection between everything that had happened over the last fifteen years.

"Yes," hissed Omni. "He was a strong fighter, but weak minded. I had him take me to his empire, where I was able to grow my mind and become stronger with each and every passing minute, waiting for the day of my revenge."

"So you used Gruumm to steal the crystals and everything else, to create this body for you," stated Z.

Eric clenched his fist together, for so long he thought it had been Merlock who had killed Wes, but it had been Omni all along. Omni had sworn that Wes wouldn't live to see Sky's seventh's birthday, and that's just what did happen. "It was you!" his voice rang in, filled with such anger and hatred. "You _killed_ Wes!"

"Of course I killed him, you fool. I used Gruumm to coax Merlock into killing your partner, but to leave you alive." He could already feel the rage burn through Eric's veins. "So that one day _I_ would be able to kill _you_!"

Already he could feel himself losing it, but Eric knew he had to get a hold of himself. He couldn't let Omni get to him. He wouldn't become his next victim. "You want me? Come and get me, because if you think I'm afraid of you just because you're a whole lot bigger than last time we fought, well I'm sorry to disappoint you, because it will take a whole lot more than that to frighten me!"

_Only if he knew, then perhaps he would be…_ "You should be….You all should be very afraid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Syd, not sure if she liked the way Omni had said it.

Bridge was frozen still, as his eyes were intent on Omni, as if he were in some trance. Sam and Z moved next to him and each gripped his shoulders, wondering if Omni might be controlling his mind.

"Bridge?"

"Are you okay, my friend?" asked Sam.

When Bridge didn't answer, Z yelled again, "Bridge?"

Bridge snapped out of it; his heart was racing and sweat covered his face. "No. It can't be…. He couldn't have…"

"Couldn't have what?" asked Z, her heart now racing in fear. Something was definitely wrong. "Bridge?" Z yelled, as she shook him again and again, trying to get him to answer her.

"I felt Sky," he cried.

"What?" everyone started saying. That couldn't be right, why would Sky be with Omni? He should be on Gruumm's ship, fighting Gruumm.

"He has Sky," Bridge said again, his face frightened.

"No. He can't!" Syd shook her head. "Sky would never… He couldn't have…"

"Sky, no…." Eric's face turned white as a ghost, if he wasn't scared before he sure as hell was now. Already he could hear Omni laughing in his face and in that moment all seemed lost.

Deep inside the massive body, Sky lay motionless and unconscious, with Omni's tentacles tightly wrapped around his head. "Mom…. Dad….Can't lose….not again," uttered Sky, his words almost unrecognizable, totally unaware that his friends were in danger.


	54. The Final Battle Part 3

Jack and his teammates hadn't even morphed, they were dead still. Sam and Nova were motionless, as they stared up at Omni. This hadn't been their first encounter with him, but little had been known about him, anyone that would have known who he was had died in their time, which was one of the reasons why Sam didn't say anything. Had he known, he probably would have said something to Commander Cruger.

Eric was stone cold, his face white as a ghost. He was afraid, more afraid than he ever had been, because he knew if something wasn't done soon, everything would be lost, everything that was ever important to him would be gone.

"I don't get it. Why would Sky join with Omni, it's not like him. He wouldn't do that," announced Syd breaking the silence. She knew Sky could be pigheaded, but he would never join the very forces they were trying to stop, it would go against everything his father ever stood for.

"He didn't," answered Eric, his voice barely just a whisper. His eyes shot right up to Omni. He knew all too well just what kind of things Omni could do. "What did you tell him that you could give him, you piece of shit? What did you give him!"

A few moments of silence passed before Omni answered, cleverly. "The _one_ thing you couldn't give him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Jack. He couldn't see where this was going. What could Omni possibly give Sky, something that none of them could?

Eric bit his lip, bowed his head down, and sighed, already knowing the answer. He briefly caught Nova staring at him, but then turned slightly towards the other rangers. "Just what he said..."

"His family," Bridge spoke up. "Omni gave Sky his parents back."

"What?" Z crossed her arms against her chest. "You're telling me this Omni has the ability to bring back the dead!" She was furious and maybe even slightly jealous of Sky, it didn't seem fair, but Eric soon corrected her.

"Depends upon the way you look at it," answered Eric flatly.

"Meaning?" asked Nova.

"Meaning, whatever Sky is seeing, it isn't real. It's a fantasy, a trick." He clenched his fist together and pointed straight up to Omni. "That thing is toying with Sky's mind and he doesn't even know it."

"I grow tired of this, it's time for your demise." Before anyone could even move Omni shot down at them with a powerful beam of bright light.

"Get down!" yelled Eric as he dove to the ground taking Nova and Sam with him.

Jack and the other dived to the ground, as well taking Isinia with them. All of them just barely missed being hit by the beam, as it hit head on against the academy windows, blasting them into pieces.

Eric dropped to the ground, brushing the glass off his ranger suit. It was time for a plan of action. Sky would have to wait; right now he had to think about a way to stop Omni before anyone got hurt. He turned to the rangers, his face bruised and determined. "Now would be the time to morph," Eric took a deep breath and looked at the remaining cadets. "All of you get inside, we got it from here."

"But commander-"

"I said now, cadet!" answered Eric. "Don't make me repeat myself again."

"Yes sir!" The lead cadet nodded to his team. "Clear the area, move inside."

"Wait, what about Sky?" Syd asked, as she got to her feet, while the cadets headed inside for safety.

Jack stood up and helped Isinia to her feet. "You heard the man, Syd." Jack nodded to the others. "Let's do it, guys!" Together the four morphed into action and joined their ranger comrades. "Isinia, you should head inside where you'll be safe."

"Of course." She knew she'd only get in the way. Before she headed inside, she took one last look at the rangers, possibly knowing it could be for the last time. "Be strong rangers, and good luck."

"You're all fools if you think you alone can stop me," hissed Omni.

"Yeah, we'll just see about that, now won't we," answered Jack. Today would be the day he would become the leader that Cruger had wanted him to become.

Eric got into a fighting stance; it was now or never. His eyes looked up high, intent on what was before him. A small red light, fading in and out, began to blink on and off and slight static could be heard, but Eric was too distracted with the situation to notice.

* * *

Gruumm was fighting both Cliff and Cruger on either side of him, blocking their swift moves with his staff. He was an excellent fighter, there was no doubt about that, it would only be a manner of time until he would defeat them. And by then Omni would have taken over Earth. "It is useless, give up and I'll make your deaths quick and painless."

"We will never give up, Gruumm," announced Cruger, as he used his mastery of sword skills against the beastly monster alien that had killed thousands and had destroyed so many lives, so that it could take decades to repair the damage that had been done. "I will never allow you to hurt anyone ever again!"

Gruumm moved quickly with his staff, blocking Cruger's moves. It was time for him to get his vengeance for what Cruger had taken from him all those years ago. "You won't be around long enough to stop me!" he growled.

Cliff stood back a few feet, watching the battle. It was obvious to see the two had a history; someone would have to be blind not to see it. The anger and rage was within them both, and neither one was about to back down, not until one or both of them were dead.

"_Clifford, it is time, my son. Time for your destiny…."_

_Clifford…._ No one had called him that in years. He looked around for the voice that had called his name, but no one was there, only Gruumm and Cruger and they were too engaged in their battle to have noticed. And then it hit him, the voice had called him son… "Father?"

"_Yes. The Earth is in grave danger. Commander Cruger must return to it."_

"What am I supposed to do?"

"_You already know the answer. You know what you must do."_

Cliff nodded his head. He did know the answer. He had always known the answer. Even in the days where he had lived in Gruumm's shadow, he had known the answer then as he did now. "Right!" He tightened his fist together, dropping his weapon to the ground, watching as Cruger and Gruumm neared the edge of the bridge. It was now or never! "Gruumm!" His voice roared in, breaking the battle up.

Both Gruumm and Cruger turned to see Cliff charging right at them. And as if a hidden instinct told him, Cruger dropped to the ground and Cliff jumped at Gruumm, sending them both over the bridge.

"Cliff!" cried Cruger. He moved fast and grabbed a hold of Cliff's hand before he could drop into the dark of space and drift into the unknown. "I got you, just hold on!" But Cliff wasn't the only one he was holding on to. Gruumm had managed to grab a hold of Cliff's legs.

Gruumm began to laugh. "Fools!" His laughter sent shivers down both Cliff's and Cruger's backs. "If I'm going to die, you're both coming with me…." He then dropped a controller from his hand and watched as it drifted off into space.

His heart skipped a beat. "Oh no!" Cliff shot his head up to Cruger. "Commander, the ship's going to blow, you have to get out of here!"

"No! I won't let you go."

"You have to." His voice was self sacrificing, he was willing to die; he was ready to pay for his sins. "It's the only way. The Earth needs you. _Mora_ needs you."

"Mora…"

"Ha!" Gruumm yelled. "It's too late. The daughter of Andros is gone forever!"

"Yes." Cliff shook his head, ignoring Gruumm's comment. "She's in Gruumm's chamber room. You have to get her and yourself out of here, before it's too late."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry. This is the way it has to be," Cliff said. "It has been an honor fighting at your side, Commander Cruger."

He knew he didn't have much of a choice. It wouldn't be long until the ship would blow and he still had to get Mora. Cruger demorphed, wanting the last thing that Cliff would see to be the face of a friend. "No, the honor's all mine." He slowly then released his hand and watched as Cliff and Gruumm drifted off, and not a second later, saw Cliff glowing a bright yellow….. BOOM. Cruger sighed heavily, before bolting back inside the ship, knowing he might only have a few minutes.

His heart raced fast, as he stormed into the room that Cliff has told him wass where Mora was. "Mora!" He then heard a banging noise coming from a closet. He walked over to it and opened the door. And there she was, the daughter of his old friend. "Mora…"

"You! You stay away from me!" Her voice was frightened. "Or…or Gruumm will get you!"

"Gruumm is gone." He started to reach for her hand.

"No, stay away!" She waved her hand and he went flying back, crashing against the wall. Her heart was racing, as she stared at her hands. How had she done that? She had never done that before. "What's wrong with me?'

He didn't have time for this. The ship was going to blow any minute now. Reluctantly he pulled out a card holder that was used to hold criminals until they could be transported. "Forgive me, Andros…" He hated to do it, but it was the only way.

Mora's eyes lit up in fear, as she saw a bright light form from the card, heading right at her. "What? Noo!"

* * *

Back on Earth, the rangers were at their wit's end. "This isn't working… We need our zords," announced Jack, as he and the others took cover behind a piece of the wall from the academy while Omni continued to blaster his powerful beams right at them. Smoke was everywhere, and it was getting harder and harder to see, as the sky continued to grow darker and rain poured down hard.

"Yeah, but Kat said they're inoperable, because the computer system and security is down," replied Bridge.

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do? Our weapons aren't strong enough to beat him," exclaimed Z.

"I have an idea." Eric raised his morpher up to his mouth. "Kat, would the Q-Rex have enough power to take this thing down?"

"_It's possible, I guess. But not even I know just what kind of power it could withstand." _

Wasn't quite the answer he was looking for, but at the moment it might be their only chance. "Well, it's worth a shot. I'm going to call it."

"Are you sure about this? It's been almost twenty years since you've used the Q-Rex." asked Nova.

He turned to her, shocked. "How do you-" Eric shook off the thought, no time for questions, only time for action. "We don't have much of a choice. The Q-Rex may be our only chance at stopping that thing." Eric took a deep breath, it had been a long time since he had used or even seen the Q-Rex. "Q-Rex arise!" A familiar roar rang through Eric's ears, and it brought a smile to his face as his eyes locked right onto an old friend. "Let's see if you still got it in you, old friend." He raised his wrist up and yelled into his morpher. "Q-Rex, fire!"

"It will take more than your puny Q-Rex to stop me, ranger." Omni moved his tentacles towards Sky, pressing them against his temple. Sky screamed out in pain, as he felt a tingly sensation flow through his veins, a blue wave of light shot right through Omni's tentacles.

"What the-" Eric's eyes widened, as a force field emerged in front of Omni's warrior like body, which reflected back the firepower shot by the Q-Rex. "Impossible!" His heart began racing.

While Eric was distracted, Cruger had joined back up with the rangers who were more than happy to see him.

"Commander, you're all right!" announced Syd.

"Wait, where's Cliff?" asked Z.

"I'll explain later." Cruger looked up and watched as the Q-Rex continued to fight back, but Omni was proving to be a powerful opponent and it seemed as though the once most feared zord didn't have the power to withstand Omni's harsh and deadly powers. "Now, what's going on here? And where is Cadet Tate?" The ranger quickly explained the situation to him.

"It is useless to resist me. I am unstoppable…" hissed Omni.

Eric raised his arm up once again, getting ready to attack again, until Cruger grabbed his shoulder. "Eric-"

"I know!" He sighed heavily. It was useless. "He has Sky, and he using Sky's powers to reflect my shots." He tightened his fist together, there had to be another way. "Damnit!"

"What are we going to do?" asked Syd, her voice full of concern. It hadn't occurred to her until that moment that she did care about Sky, more than she wanted to admit. _I really do love him._ Time seemed to stop, all that could be heard was the firing coming from the blasters and the Q-Rex's fire rockets, all of them hoping to find a weak point, but it was futile. When no one answered, she responded. "Commander?" But in the pit of her stomach, she already knew…

Cruger turned his head and Eric looked the other way, not being able to face her or the truth, both knew what needed to be done, but neither could bring themselves to say it. Jack sighed heavily, knowing what this was leading to. He looked Syd right in the eye. "They're going to self-destruct the Q-Rex, that should hopefully give enough firepower to break through the shield."

"But…" Syd's face began to tear up. "Sky, he's…."

"I know." Jack's face fell, not being able to face the pain and heartbreak in her voice. He knew she and Sky were close, they had known each other for a few years, while he had only been here about a year now, but even still…. He too was going to miss him.

"No! There's got to be another way!" she cried frantically. "Sam, you can teleport in there and get him!"

The Omega Ranger's head fell, as he sighed heavily. "I've already tried. The shield won't let me through." He hated it; it wasn't fair. He had this gift and now he couldn't even use it to save his friend. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Sam." Z smiled faintly, as she put her arm around Syd. "It's going to be okay Syd."

"Maybe he'll be okay. Sky's tough, he can survive anything," added Bridge, but even he knew the chances were unlikely. Sky might have a powerful gift, but he was still just human.

He hated to do it, but time was running out. The longer they waited the more powerful Omni would become. "Eric…"

"-I know." Eric sighed heavily. He took a deep breath, before looking back up at Omni. Never had he felt so much hatred towards something; this was the thing that had controlled Gruumm for years, this had been the thing that had ordered Gruumm to send someone to kill Wes, and now, this thing had taken away the only memory he had left of his old friend.

He slowly raised his arm up, not only would he lose one old friend today, but he would lose two. _Forgive me. _But the words just wouldn't come out, he couldn't bring himself to do it and then he felt someone grip his shoulder. He turned and found the Nova ranger staring at him, in a way that felt almost familiar to him, like he was supposed to know her somehow. But that was obscure; he couldn't even see past her helmet to know how she was looking at him.

"It's okay, I'm here…"

The soft sound and gentleness in her voice brought some calmness to him. He knew what he had to do, as hard as it was. It was the only way to save the city. And that is what Sky would want, even at the cost of his life; because that's what being a ranger is all about - putting others before yourself. "Q-Rex, prepare for self-destruct mode." Tears fell from his eyes, as his arm dropped to his side. Nova gripped his shoulder and then noticed a fading red blinking light on Eric's morpher.

"What's that?"

"Huh?" Eric looked at his morpher, his eyes widened, as he heard static from the other end. "It's not possible..."

"_Eric, don't worry, I got it from here…."_


	55. The Final Battle Part 4

"Who was that?" asked Nova, staring at Eric, who looked as though he had just seen a ghost. But Eric was too much in shock to answer; he didn't even notice as the Q-Rex began to glow bright red. "Commander Myers, are you all right?"

"Rangers! Get down!" roared Cruger. Everyone began to move in an orderly manner, so that there would be plenty of room for the explosion to take place without injuring any more people. Nova had to physically drag Eric down with her.

Jack looked up and smiled faintly behind his helmet, saluting. "_You would have made a great leader, Sky."_

"_You're a true hero, Sky," _said Bridge.

"_You did good Sky," _said Z. "_I'll give you that."_

"_I want you to know, Sky, that I cared a lot about you. I just wish you knew how much."_ A few tears trickled down Syd's face; she was thankful for her helmet so that no one could see. But she half suspected she wasn't the only one. Sky might be tough, but he was still one of a kind, no one could ever replace him.

All that remained was Cruger, standing tall and proud and not leaving his post until the last second. "_Your father would be very proud of you, Sky."_

Eric sighed heavily as his heart raced with fear for what would happen in the next couple of minutes. "_Self destruct will begin in five minutes,"_ said the morpher.

* * *

"Fools. That will not be enough to stop me. I have more power than you've ever dreamed of," hissed Omni.

Sky flinched as he tried to get up, but Omni was draining his energy right out of him…..

"_Come on Sky, give in. This is what you want…" _Omni's voice hissed, as Sky watched while his younger self sat down for dinner with his mother, father and grandfather. It was everything he had ever wanted, a family that was always there for each other. Talking and laughing, enjoying each other's company as they talked about their day.

He had to laugh as he watched young Sky feed Trip the puppy from the table and grinned when he saw his father do the same thing. "_Say it….Just let go and this will all be yours…"_

"I want….Ah…" Sky grabbed a hold of his head, screaming in pain. "Ahh, What's happening?" The room around him began to spin and everything started to turn into a blur and fade away, until he was no longer in his dining room. And darkness started to cave in…. _What had happened? Where was he?_

"_SKY!"_ someone yelled.

He opened his eyes part way and moaned softly. He couldn't see anything. It was all a hazy dark blur. Nobody was there. "Sky!" he heard the voice again. "Sky, you've got to snap out of it!"

"Huh?" He opened his eyes wider, but all he could see was a blurry figure standing in front of him, looking right at him, but he was too out of it to make out who it was. "Who-who's there…" he moaned.

"Sky you need to get up. Your friends need your help."

"Can't. Too weak…" His voice was soft and weak, as if Omni had pulled the very life right out of him. He had nothing left to give.

"You can!" replied the voice with encouraging force. "Please, you have to try…"

Sky lightly nodded his head. He had to at least try; that's what his father would have done. He attempted to push himself up, but dropped back down to the ground. Omni had drained too much out of him and the pain in his head was growing stronger. "I can't do it. Just go, save yourself." His voice started drifting away. "Just forget….."

"SKY!" the voice yelled. "Schuyler, you have to listen to me!" The figure knelt down in front of him, but still he couldn't make out a face. "There isn't much time left. Eric has set the Q-Rex to self-destruct, but it's not going to be enough to take Omni out, not as long as he is using your powers to shield the attack. You have to break free of Omni's hold on you. If you don't the planet and mankind as we know it is doomed…"

"Eric? He's here…" Had he heard right, was Eric really here? For the past seven years, since he had come to the Academy, he had practically ignored Eric, not wanting to have anything to do with him. Why would Eric decide to show up, after the way he had treated him? He didn't deserve it, not after the way he had acted.

"Yes. He was worried…"

"Worried?"

"About you."

"Me?"

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Look, I know it's hard, but you've got to have some strength left inside of you."

_He's right… _The stranger was right, he couldn't give up now. He couldn't let his friends down, he couldn't let the Earth fall, but for the first time he realized this was something he couldn't do on his own. For years he had pushed others away, wanting to do things his way and alone, but now he needed help more than ever. Even though he couldn't make out the face, he focused the best he could to look the stranger in the eye. "I don't think I can get up on my own…"

"You're not on your own, I'm here." The stranger took hold of Sky's hand. "Just like I always have been. Don't you remember: nothing will _ever_ keep me from you?"

Then something clicked. Sky felt like his heart skipped a beat, as a memory of the past came back to him. "_We'll always be together, right?" "You bet." Wes smiled. "Nothing will ever keep me away from you. I'll always be here, no matter what. Got it?"_

It couldn't be. It wasn't possible… Sky blinked his eyes a few times, slowly the blurriness began to fade away and he could see clearly and his eyes met with the stranger that held his hand so tightly. "Dad?"

Wes smiled, and squeezed his son's hand. "Yeah, it's me."

"But how-"

"There's not much time left, Sky, we have to hurry." He looked Sky hard in the eyes. "Are you with me?"

"Let's do this!"

"That's my boy!" Wes helped Sky to his feet. Sky winced in pain as his father helped him up. The pressure from the tentacles still pressed against his temple. "We've got to get those tentacles off you."

"Ah…My blaster…." Sky pointed off to a corner, where his blaster had gotten knocked away.

Wes rushed over to get it. Meanwhile Omni had decided to check back up on Sky. He moved his one eye and saw Wes heading over to Sky with the blaster. "Impossible. You're supposed to be dead!"

"That makes two of us," answered Wes. "Sky, catch!" He tossed Sky the blaster, to use to cut lose the tentacles. "I'll handle Cyclops." Wes marched right up to the one eyed, big brained freak of a monster. "Let's get something straight, no one messes with my son and gets away with it!" shouted Wes. "You're going down once and for all Omni." He quickly morphed into the red Time Force ranger. "And this time _I'm _going to make sure of it!"

"We shall see, ranger," hissed Omni…..

"Hey look, the force field's down!" shouted Bridge. The others looked up and indeed the blue force field had faded away. Had Sky somehow gotten free of the fantasy he had been in or had something else happened?

A million things were racing over and over in Eric's mind, but he still couldn't begin to believe it. Even as he looked down at his morpher and continued to see the fading red blinking light, it just didn't seem possible to him…..

Sky ripped off the tentacles around his head and tossed them to the ground, but as he did he dropped to one knee and grabbed a hold of his head. Never had it hurt so much, it felt impossible to be able to focus. Omni must have drained a lot more out of him than he had thought.

Wes was fighting Omni intensely, using his sword to block any of Omni's tentacles from grabbing a hold of him. He only needed to distract Omni a little longer, just enough time to come up with a plan to get his son out of here, before everything blew up.

"I grow tired of this, human!" Omni with an enormous amount of rage plunged one of his tentacles right at Wes's neck, squeezing it so tight that his helmet plopped off. Then using another, ripped Wes's sword right from his hands and tossed it aside.

Wes gasped for air and his heart raced faster. _No… I just need a little longer. _Wes tried to pull the tentacles away from his neck, but it was no use. Omni was much stronger than the last time they had met.

Sky barely could hear his father's whispers, calling his name. He took a deep breath, as he put his mind at ease and stopped resisting the intense pain, and soon he felt a peace. He was able to focus now. He opened his eyes and looked straight ahead and saw that his father was in trouble. "Dad!"

He jumped to his feet. "Hang on, I'm coming!" With lighting speed Sky ran forward, scooping up his father's sword and then leaped into the air and morphed, while cutting the tentacle in half that had been choking his father. Wes dropped to his knees and gasped for air.

"You'll pay for that, boy!" Omni's eye began to glow a bright reddish color and it was aimed right towards Wes. "But first I'm going to take care of him!"

Sky had no time to think as he jumped in front of his father and shielded his face with his hands. He was vaguely aware of his father crying out his name as the blast from Omni's eye broke through his shielding, hitting his body hard. A bright light flashed and electric shocks shocked Sky's body as he clasped into his father's lap.

"SKY! No. It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Wes shook his son's shoulders. "Sky. Sky…. Please say something." He stared into his son's face, covered with cuts and scrapes, but Sky didn't budge.

Omni laughed. "A fool. Just like his father."

Wes angrily stared up at Omni. "You're going to pay for this!" He gently pushed his son's body to the side and reached for his sword as he jumped to his feet. "I'll make sure of it." Wes had tears racing down his reddened face, as he charged at Omni. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. He had failed. He had failed to protect his son. He had failed Jen…. He had promised her he would make sure that Sky was okay. "_I'm sorry…_'

He was so determined to take Omni out that he didn't notice as his son slowly began to move his hand. But apparently Omni had noticed, as he froze right where he was, staring at the young man who should be dead.

"Impossible. That blast should have killed you." Omni was in shock, no one had ever survived his eye blast attack.

Wes turned his head around and saw Sky slowly moving around. He was alive, but he needed help. He took a deep breath and looked at his morpher, only thirty seconds left. "Just hang in there, kid-o, help's on the way!"

Eric, along with the others, hadn't taken his eyes away. Any minute now, the Q-Rex would explode, hopefully taking with it Omni, but at an even greater cost. He started to hear static coming from his morpher. He stared down at it, as his heart skipped a beat. Maybe he wasn't imagining things….

"_Eric, I need you to tell Sam to teleport in and get Sky out now!"_

Eric gulped in heavily. Even though he had heard the voice, he was still having trouble believing that it was real. It just wasn't possible, Wes was….. "Who is this?"

"_Who do you think?"_

He gulped in heavily. Even as impossible as it seemed, he knew. He might not be able to believe it, but he knew who was on the other end of his morpher. "Wes…."

"_Hurry, there's not much time left… I gotta go…"_

"But wait… Wes I….." But Wes never answered. Eric gulped in heavily and turned to Sam. "Sam…"

"I'm on it!" Everyone watched as Sam disappeared.

"Oh, please get him back…." Syd cried.

"You can do it Sam. I know you can," announced Nova.

Sam appeared right away inside Omni's body suit and found Sky lying on the ground almost motionless. But his eyes were stunned to see a young man with blonde hair in a red ranger suit, not much older than Sky. He recalled seeing pictures of the young man before him when he was a boy. "You're-"

"There isn't much time left, Sam. I need you to get my son out of here."

Sam nodded his head. "Right!" He started to run towards Sky, but then one of Omni's tentacles started for him.

"No one is leaving here alive!" hissed Omni.

"Oh no, you don't!" yelled Wes as he used everything he had to stop Omni from reaching Sam. He then quickly used his sword and poked Omni in the eye, knowing that would give them the time they needed. "Hurry Sam, just a few seconds."

Sam grabbed a hold of Sky, who was a little disoriented. He then looked back up at Wes. "I got him. I'm ready for you now."

Wes sighed heavily as his eyes fell onto his son. _If only…_ "I'm can't." He hated seeing the hurt look in his son's eyes. "I'm sorry, Sky. But it was my time a long time ago." He bit his lips. "I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you, and I love you with all my heart."

"No. Dad, I can't lose you, not again!" He had just gotten him back; he couldn't lose him. It had been hard enough the first time, to go through it a second time seemed almost unbearable.

"You'll never lose me. I'm always here for you, just like today." No matter how far away he was.

Sky knew his father was right, as hard as it was he had to let him go. But at least this time he would get the chance to say goodbye. "I love you, Dad."

Wes smiled. "I know." His eyes then fell on Sam. "It's time, Sam."

"Right."

* * *

Everyone watched as the Q-Rex glowed brightly and then BOOM, a massive explosion ripped through. As the smoke cleared away both the Q-Rex and Omni were gone. Everyone started rejoicing as the darkened sky began to clear and the sun came back out. Omni had been defeated, they had won, but then it finally struck them. Both Sam and Sky were still missing.

"They got out, right?" asked Z, looking at her teammates as they demorphed, but all of them seemed as distraught as she was. A sickening feeling came over her and she imagined she wasn't the only one. "Sam!" she cried out over and over. She was vaguely aware of the others calling out to both Sky and Sam, but it was useless, no one answered their calls. It appeared as if this victory had come at a cost.

Eric seemed lost within himself. He looked at his morpher, but the blinking red light was gone. "Come on guys, where are you?" He looked up and searched around and then his eyes stopped right in the center of the haze of smoke. He watched as two darkened figures started coming towards them. "Well, I'll be damned." A smile came across his face and he couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't believe it!" Jack couldn't believe it as he saw Sam, with Sky leaning against his shoulder, coming towards them. "They're all right."

"Sam! Sky! Oh, thank God you two are all right," cried Z as she ran towards them.

Bridge wrapped an arm around Syd and smiled. "See, I told you he'd be all right."

Syd smiled and whipped a few tears from her eyes. "Yeah. I guess he is too stubborn for his own good." She and Bridge soon joined the others, leaving Eric, Nova and Cruger behind.

"Aren't you going to go up and greet him," asked Cruger, walking up behind Eric.

"Maybe later. What about you? Aren't you going to go up and greet him?"

Cruger said, "Once I'm through with him, there'll be nothing left."

Nova just stood back, smiling behind her helmet. Today was a glorious day. Today would be the start of a new future, a better future, a future she could go home to. "We did it."

"We sure did." Eric walked up to her and gripped her shoulder. "I just wanted to say thanks. You really saved me out there today."

Nova laughed. "Is this the great quantum ranger, saying thanks? You must have gotten hit a lot harder than I thought."

He playfully punched her. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. One time deal." They both laughed. "So you going to demorph or do you like living in your ranger suit?"

"Sorry, but if I demorphed and you found out my identity then I'd have to kill you."

"What, you're the daughter of some big hotshot?"

"Something like that." Nova then ran to join the others to welcome their heroes home.


	56. Goodbyes and New Beginings Part 1

It had been about two hours since the battle had ended. Sky had been taken to the SPD medical bay, so that the doctors could attend to his injures. Everyone had been told he was going to be okay. He would just have to take it easy for a while, which was one thing they all knew Sky wouldn't like.

"How bad is it?" asked Boom, leaning over Kat's shoulder and watching her working on Sky's morpher. It had been damaged when Omni had blasted at him and Kat was trying to see if she could repair it.

"Bad." She set what was left of the morpher onto the table. "I won't be able to repair it. I'll have to just make a new one." She sighed heavily. It had taken her six months just to make the B squad morphers. It would be at least a couple more months until she could have a new blue morpher ready.

Boom bit his lip. "Kat, do you think Sky will get kicked out of the academy?" He had known Cruger wasn't too excited about Sky disobeying order, _again_.

"It's not up to me, Boom. You know that."

"Yeah. I know, but…."

"He broke protocol. Commander Cruger will do what he has to do," she answered.

Boom smiled faintly and nodded his head. This hadn't been the first time Sky had broken protocol and every time he had been punished harshly, but even that didn't seem to keep Sky from doing things his own way. Boom just hoped it wouldn't come down to this; Sky was a great officer and ranger. They needed him.

* * *

Cruger was standing in the Command Center, which already was being repaired. He still couldn't believe that both Gruumm and Omni were defeated and gone, no longer able to hurt anyone else. But the thing that still amazed him was his wife; she had been alive all this time. He had spent so many years believing she had died during the war that had cost him everything he had ever known.

She was in his room, resting comfortably. She had been through so much; they both had, but maybe now they could start moving forward in their lives and not let troubles of their pasts hold them back.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Cadet Landers, I did." Cruger turned around to face him. "I just received your resignation papers-"

"Sir, before you-" Jack figured Cruger would try to talk him out of it and try to change his mind. It wasn't that he didn't like being a ranger; he always got a thrill out of morphing, saving the world from mass destruction, but as of lately... He knew this wasn't where he was supposed to be. He belonged somewhere else, helping people in the way he had always loved. Only this time, doing it the right way. And then there was Ally….

"Jack, it's alright. I actually was expecting this."

"You were?"

"Yes." Cruger nodded his head. "I always knew you wouldn't stay here for long."

If he hadn't been confused before, he sure was now. "But then why, sir, appoint me to red ranger if you always knew I wouldn't stay?"

"Because you needed to learn something first."

"And what was that?"

"You needed to learn what it means to be responsible for your actions." The old dog looked him straight in the eyes.

Jack grinned. He knew where this was coming from. "This is about taking Z out on the street with me, isn't it?"

"That and more." Cruger walked up to him and gripped Jack's shoulder. "But you learned your lesson, and learned what it means to be responsible. You did what you needed to do here. Before you leave for good, there is one more thing I'd like you to do." He handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" asked Jack as he took the paper from Cruger's hand.

"The responsible thing to do."

Jack looked from Cruger to the piece of paper, and after a moment he unfolded it. There was an address on it. He looked up at Cruger, confused. "An address, what is this for?"

"It's where you'll find your parents. It took me several months, but I finally found them. I haven't contacted them, but I think you should."

"But sir, I haven't seen my parents since I was a kid. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Don't worry about that, it'll come to you."

Jack nodded his head. He knew it was the right thing to do, but it wasn't going to be easy. But the truth was he did miss them, more than anything. He looked up at Cruger and saluted. "Thank you, sir, for everything." He put out his hand and shook Cruger's hand. "It has been an honor serving on your team, sir."

"You're an honorable man, Jack."

"Thanks." With that said, Jack started out of the Command Center, but stopped and turned around. "Oh, before I forget. I'd like to make a recommendation for red ranger for you to consider, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead….."

**Later that night….**

"How is she?" asked Eric as he walked up behind Kat who was looking through a two way mirror over at Mora, who was huddled against a corner. She had been like that ever since she examined her. The spell that Omni had placed on her was gone, but to their disappointment she had only been under it a few days, tops. They had hoped that she had been under his control all along, but that wasn't the case. She had been raised in evil and therefore became evil herself.

Kat had tried to find a way to age Mora to the age she should be, just a few years older than she appeared, but believed in the long run it would only do more damage than good and that it would be better to leave her the way she was, to age normally.

"Not well. It will be a long time before she will be able to live a normal life."

Eric sighed heavily, watching Mora huddle against the corner with her doll that she had had since she was a baby, holding on for dear life. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she was going through. For her whole life she had been lied to, had her mind filled with hateful thoughts and lies. "If she is anything like her parents, she'll pull through." Although he didn't really know Ashley, he remembered Andros as being strong-willed, a fighter, someone who would never give up, even when the odds were against him. There still had to be a little of her parents in her.

"I hope you're right." Although she didn't know the details to any extent, only what Commander Cruger had told her. She knew he would never be able to forgive himself. He would always feel responsible for what had happened to Mora, what kind of life she had lived. It was the same kind of guilt, but even worse, than Andros had felt when Karone had been taken from him as a small boy. But he had someone to share in the blame; his wife blamed herself as well, believing that there was something more she could have done, that she could have fought harder to protect Mora.

"When will they be here?" asked Eric. Just hours ago, Cruger had contacted KO-35, getting in touch with Andros' parents. He had also called Ashley's parents, informing them of the situation, but only in small details.

"The Hammalds will be here in a few hours. Andros' parents will arrive tomorrow afternoon."

"What did Cruger tell them?"

"Enough for now," Kat sighed heavily. "There's no need to go into great detail yet, it will come in time." It would be hard telling them the truth about what had happened to Mora over these last years. She had just been a baby when she was taken, but a lot had happened since then. People had gotten hurt, many had died and she had been a part of it.

"Yeah," He couldn't know for sure, but he knew that there was more going on here than he would ever know.

"I just hope that one day she'll be able to get over this." Kat bowed her head down. So many lives had been destroyed by Gruumm, "She shouldn't have to be the one who suffers."

Eric looked up and smiled as young Sam teleported into the room with Mora. "I'm sure one day she will." He patted Kat on the back. "I'm going to head home." It had been a long and trying day and he needed all the rest he could get. Hayley and the kids were arriving in the morning and he knew that once Hayley got done with him, he'd probably never be allowed to leave the house again.

Kat watched as Sam walked up to Mora. "Just maybe, things will turn out for the best."

"Hi, remember me?" asked Sam as he sat down next to Mora.

"What are you doing here? I'm the bad guy, remember." Mora rolled her eyes. "Besides, won't you get in trouble for coming to see me?"

"You're not that bad. You just didn't have the right friends before." He smiled kindly. A part of him had always believed that somewhere hidden deep inside was a young girl who was scared, as much as he had once been. "And I don't care if I get in trouble. Besides, you looked like you could use a friend."

"Friend? Why would you want to be my friend? I tried to destroy your friends and your home." She couldn't understand why everyone seemed to want to help her. Gruumm had told her these people were evil and responsible for killing her parents.

"Everyone needs a friend."

"No one's going to want to be my friend, not after what I've done."

"That's in the past." Sam smiled; he didn't know why but he truly wanted to help her, wanted to be her friend. "Besides, everyone deserves a second chance." He licked his lips. "When I was real little my dad left my mom and me. And after she died he didn't want me, but a month ago he came looking for me. He was sorry for leaving me and he wants to start being my dad again."

"And you're going to let him, even after how he hurt you?"

"Yeah. He's my dad and I want to give him another chance. Just like I'm going to give you another chance."

Mora didn't know what to think; no one, not even Gruumm, ever truly wanted to be her friend. The only real friend she had was her doll, but somehow in the back of her mind she wanted something more real. "I guess you can be my friend. If you really want to."

"I want to."

Mora smiled faintly and started playing around with her doll. "That Kat lady said that my grandparents were coming to see me."

"Have you ever met them?"

"I don't know. I don't remember meeting them." She turned to Sam. "What if they don't like me?"

Sam gripped her shoulder. "Give them a chance, they might surprise you."

* * *

Eric was in the small one-bedroom dorm room that SPD had provided him for the night. He sat down on the bed, took off his shoes, and set his watch on the night stand. He slowly took off his morpher, and recalled earlier in the evening when Cruger proposed a position for him to return to SPD. Although they both had put their past history behind them, Eric declined the offer, saying this had been a one shot deal. He had a family to think about, and then, he wasn't as young as he used to be. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Alex, I mean Drake. It's me."

"_Eric. How are you? Hayley called and filled me in on the details."_

"I'm good. I just wanted-"

"_It wasn't me, Eric."_

"My morpher picked up on a signal from the red morpher, how do you explain that?"

"_I don't know, but I can honestly tell you that it wasn't me who came to Sky's rescue."_

Eric rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't sure what he wanted more, for it to turn out to be Alex who had saved Sky or that somehow, something he might never be able to understand, that Wes had somehow managed to come back to save Sky. Was it possible that Wes's spirit had come to Sky's aid, could it be true that a parent's love and bond with their child is stronger than death? "Yeah…"

"_What did Sky say?"_

"I didn't really talk to him for long, just enough to know that he believes he saw Wes."

"_Maybe he did."_

Eric stood up and looked out the window and stared out at the stars. And for a moment he could have sworn he saw one of the stars shining brightly at him, as if it were talking to him. He smiled faintly. "Yeah, maybe he did."

* * *

Cruger stood outside, looking up at the stars, feeling the cold breeze against his face. So much had happened, so much had changed, both good and bad. He thought with his wife being alive everything would be okay, go back to normal, but… The world they both had known was gone, their kind, their people were gone.

"What are you doing up? You should be in bed, with your wife," asked Kat as she joined him.

Cruger turned to her and smiled briefly before turning back to the stars. Kat, his good friend, had always been there for him. There was even a time when he had felt they had something more than a friendship, but they were from two different worlds. And now his wife was back, there couldn't be anything more than friendship. "I couldn't sleep."

"Your nightmare again?"

"No."

Kat smiled faintly. "It's Charlie and the others, you're thinking about them."

"It's hard not to." He turned to her. For years, unbeknownst to him, they had been working for Gruumm. Today they had triumphed over him, only to lose their lives in the end. "If I had known the truth, maybe I-"

"Doggie…" She placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

"I know. Blaming myself won't change things." There was nothing he could do or say to change things. What was done was done, there was no going back.

She gently squeezed her shoulder. "I did, however, find out what happened to them. I did some backtracking of the information Bridge had given me. I searched in the galactic files going back twenty years…."

"And?"

It was difficult reading the files, the gory reports; so much death, it was just like Bridge had described. "They were all taken from their home planets when they were very young, their families murdered." Kat bit her lips, this was hard, but it was something Cruger needed to know. "I've been in contact with Trey of Triforia, Kim and Kane's home planet. He'll be arriving tomorrow to bring their bodies home and bury them next to their parents and brother." Trey had been searching for Kim and Kane for the last twenty years, that's all he had done, feeling somewhat responsible for what had happened. He had been grateful that now he could bring them home, but was saddened by the news.

"And the others?"

"A wise elder from Aquitar will be here tomorrow as well to take Tusk back with him. And Tykwa will arrive with Andros' parents, to take Charlie back with her."

Cruger nodded his head. At least now, after all these years, they would be able to go home and be able to rest in peace. And be remembered not for their tragic story, but for their sacrifice. "Were you able to find anything out about Cliff?"

"He was a little harder, but the only attack that is similar to the others is one that happened on Eltar. It was the same day the Phantom Ranger went missing, it was also…"

"Yes, I remember. A young man died in Cassie Chan's arms." It had just been a fluke that she was there when she was. That's what Andros had said. She was just doing a routine check of the planet when she found him injured, barely hanging on to life.

Cruger turned to her. "What does that have to do with Cliff?"

"I examined Cliff blood sample from a year ago… He's half Eltarian, and from the looks of it a very rare one." She paused for a moment. She was still blown away by it. But every test showed the same result. "I believe Cliff may be a descendent of Zordon the wizard."

"That's impossible, no one even knew whether-"

"But some believed that the Phantom Ranger was his son."

"Even if that's true, no one even knew his identity." It had never been revealed to anyone, as far as he knew.

"Perhaps, but then how would Cliff be half Earthling?" A smile curved around her face as Cruger turned to her in shock.

"What? That's impossible, how…." And then it hit him smack in the face. Why he hadn't figured it until now he didn't know. But it all made perfect sense now. "Cassie…" It had to be. The only humans who had ever had any real contact with the Phantom Ranger was Andros' team.

"Yes. Which would explain why Cliff survived Gruumm's blast, unlike the others." It was because of his Eltarian heritage, they could survive powerful attacks while in their youth and if he was a descendent of Zordon, it would make him the all more powerful.

"If this is true, then maybe, just maybe, Cliff isn't gone." He looked back at the stars. "He could still be out there…."

* * *

Yesterday had been a long and tiring day, but a day he found himself wishing he could relive. He wandered into the room that had once been his sanctuary. It had been a little more than a year since he had stepped foot into this room and even longer since he had been out of uniform; for the first time in years he hadn't dressed in his uniform.

The doctor had put him on medical leave, but in the back of his mind, he knew the question of him remaining here was on everyone's mind. He had disobeyed Cruger's orders, which was something he had done in the past, but Cruger had made it very clear that if he ever disobeyed him again, he'd be kicked out of the academy.

Which wasn't something that bothered him as much as he thought it would. He had done what he had to do, and if he could go back he wouldn't change a thing. Well, maybe there would be one thing he would change… Sky stared up at the picture of his father. He knew that if it weren't for his father he probably wouldn't be standing there today. He wasn't sure how his father came to be there with him, maybe one day he would, but one thing was for sure, he would never forget his father's words. "_I'm very proud of you."_ He would treasure those words for the rest of his life, whereever it might take him.

"Now, don't get any ideas. I expect to be long dead and with great-grandchildren before you end up anywhere near that wall."

Sky was hesitant to turn around. The two hadn't really talked yesterday, just a couple of nods, but sooner or later he knew they would have to talk. And it was better now than never. "Don't worry." He turned to face Eric. "Besides, I don't think Cruger will keep me around, not after the stunt I pulled."

"Want me to talk to him? I'm very good at persuading others."

"Thanks." He smiled faintly. "But I think it's time I started taking responsibility for my actions and behavior."

"I can understand that."

Sky found it hard to believe that there had been a time when he and Eric had been close. That seemed so long ago, a distant memory he couldn't quite recall. They had been through so much together, but….they were really just strangers. Something that was mostly his own fault; Eric had tried to make things right, but he pushed him away. "Eric…"

"Sky, you don't-"

"Yes I do." This was hard for him, admitting things: that he had been wrong, that he had acted badly, but it was time for him to stop wanting to have things his own way and time for him to become a man. "I need you to know that I never blamed you."

"Sky…"

"No, let me finish. I know you thought I blamed you for my father's death, but I didn't. I thought I did, but I know that you did everything you could. You were his best friend, his partner. You would have done anything for him."

"Yeah. I would have." Even though years ago he had forgiven himself for Wes's death, he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It seemed odd, but maybe this was what they both needed. They both needed to come to terms with Wes death, that was where their problem had first begun. Maybe now, things would be different between them. Maybe now things could go back to what they had been all those years ago. "What was it like?" He stared into Sky's eyes. Even though he had spoke to Wes for just a few seconds, he still had trouble believing it was even him. "Seeing him?"

"It was great. It was like everything I thought it would have been." He bowed his head down, sighing. "I just wish I could have gotten him back."

Eric smiled faintly and gripped Sky's shoulder. "Me too. Me too."


	57. Goodbyes and New Beginings Part 2

"So when do your parents get here?" asked Z as she watched Syd pack her bags for home. Commander Cruger was giving them all three weeks off; after all their hard work he had told them they needed this rest and that they weren't going to do it on the base.

"A few hours."

Z lay down on her bed and grabbed a magazine. She would be leaving in a few hours too. She was going to go with Jack and Ally and help them deliver clothes to the needy, and then accompany them both to go see Jack's parents. Which was something she was looking forward to, she was happy that Jack was going to see his parents after all of this time. And then, part of her was hoping that they would welcome her into their lives, as Jack had. "So have you told him?"

Syd grabbed her stuffed dog and pushed him into her bag. "Told who what?"

Z turned to her and grinned. "You know who."

"Oh that. I didn't know what I was saying." She was so lost in her thoughts, that she started unpacking her things from her bag.

"Ah huh. Then why are you unpacking your things?"

"I'm not unpack-" Syd looked down on her bed and saw all her clothes and belongings all over. "Okay." She turned to Z. "Maybe I did know what I was saying." She sighed and went to go lie next to Z. "But it's not like I can go up and tell him."

"And why not?"

"Because this is Sky we're talking about. He's not exactly like most of the guys around here."

"Oh, you mean he's not drooling over you."

"No. He's….he's Sky. He's not the easiest person to talk to, especially about things like... things."

Z got up and started towards the door. "Okay, I'll talk to him for you."

"No!" Syd jumped up and pulled Z back into the room. "Don't you dare tell him, Z, or…."

Z smirked and crossed her arms against her chest. "Or what?"

"Or…or…I'll come up with something!"

"Uh huh. Let me know when you do." Z flashed out of the room with Syd chasing right behind her.

* * *

"Sky, come on, Commander Cruger isn't going to kick you out," exclaimed Bridge as he watched Sky pack up all of his belongings. "You're one of the best officers here."

"I disobeyed him, Bridge. He isn't exactly going to let that go." Sky reached under his bed and pulled out his father's helmet. And his eyes just remained intent on it, as the events from yesterday played over in his mind. He sat down on his bed, almost envisioning his father wearing the helmet. A smile came to his face; for years he had never been able to smile while looking at the helmet. It had always brought back too many painful memories. But now it didn't hurt so much, and then everything just came out. "I guess I always thought that if I made it to the top here, worked hard every day and become red ranger," he looked up to Bridge, "I could get him back, Bridge. That's why I worked so hard, worked my ass off just so I could make red and he'd be there, like he was never gone." Sky looked back down at the helmet. "Pretty dumb, huh?"

Bridge bit his lip and sat down on his bed. "No it's not." He smiled faintly. "You were just a kid when he died…"

"Ah hmm." Both of them jumped to their feet when they saw Commander Cruger standing in the doorway. "At ease, cadets, you're off duty." Cruger looked at Sky and then to Bridge. "Cadet Carson, would you mind stepping out for a moment? I need to have a few words with Cadet Tate."

Bridge turned to Sky and smiled faintly. "Yeah, sure." He stepped outside in the hall and closed the door behind him.

Cruger took a moment to take in the scene. He noticed right away that most of Sky's belongings, from his clothes to his bedsheets, everything was packed away neatly. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. But better."

"Good." And then the awkward silence began. The two had a long history of arguing and disagreeing, and both of them were too stubborn to admit the other was right. "Sky-"

"Sir." They both stopped and stared at each other. Sky took a deep breath; he needed to get this out. It was time for him to make amends and own up to his mistakes. "I'm sorry I disobeyed your orders. You have every right to throw me out of the SPD."

He looked Sky straight in the eyes. "Yes, I do," he answered firmly. "But…"

He gulped in heavily as he met eyes with the old dog. "But?"

"But, a good man talked me out of it." Cruger reached for something on his belt. "It seems this person believes that you should be allowed to stick around and be promoted." He held out his hand to Sky. "To red ranger. That is, if you still want the job."

Sky was blown away. This was the last thing he had ever expected to hear from Cruger. "But sir, I thought-"

"Thought I didn't want you to be red ranger." He took Sky's hand and placed the morpher in his hand. "You were always the right man for the job, Sky. You just needed to know why."

"I don't understand."

"You needed to learn that it wasn't because of your father that you should have gotten red. You needed to prove that you alone were worthy of it. And when the other rangers were down and thought of quitting, you stepped up to the plate and showed what it means to be a true leader."

"I just said what I had to, but I also learned another thing."

"And what's that?"

"That I'll follow anyone into battle who you thought worthy of wearing the color red. I may not always agree with your decisions, but I know you're only doing what you think is best."

"I may have to disagree on some level on that last part. Because even I, cadet, make wrong decisions, that is something we both learned this year."

"I guess it _is_ true, you can teach an old dog new tricks." Sky grinned.

"Watch it, Cadet, or I'll extend your suspension to four weeks."

Sky nodded his head and saluted Cruger. "I'll see you in three weeks, sir."

'I'd better, someone has to lead the new A squad team."

"A squad?"

"Yes. You, Cadets Drew, Carson and Delgado have been promoted." Cruger then nodded his head and started out. "Oh, and by the way Lt. Tate, a smile looks good on you. I suggest you keep it."

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Dru's voice was harsh as he watched Sky walk up to his cell. It had been several months since they last saw each other. "Or did you hit your head and forgot our lasting meeting?"

"Well, I did have my head messed with, but no, I haven't forgotten our last meeting."

"Then what the hell are you doing here, Tate? Last I checked, you didn't correspond with outlaws."

"Yeah, well, maybe things have changed." Sky got right up to Dru's cell. "I've changed!" He took a moment to settle his anger down. He hadn't come here to blow up in front of Dru. "Besides, there was a time when we could talk about anything."

"Well, like you said, things changed." Dru clasped his hands together. "Now, let's get down to the real reason you're here. You want to know if I knew about the A squad or not."

Sky wasn't sure why he had come down here. It seemed as if the friendship he and Dru had once had was gone, or maybe it had never existed. By the tone of Dru's voice, it sounded as if he didn't even want him here. "That's one of the reasons."

Dru smirked his cocky smile, that had gotten him in trouble more than once with Cruger. "Yeah. I knew they were plotting against you, working with Gruumm, that had been the plan all along."

"So you were working with them that whole time." Sky just couldn't shake off the thought that all along his best friend was one of the bad guys. Why hadn't he seen it?

"Yeah, I was. They were sent in first, and when I was old enough Gruumm sent me in too."

Sky remained silent. This was a lot to take in. While the others, before their deaths, seemed regretful of their pasts, Dru showed no signs of remorse for his actions. But as hard as it was, he had to know. "Were you kidnapped like them?" For a moment he thought he saw something click in Dru's eyes, a sadness of some sort, but then it was gone.

"Why? Would you feel sorry for me if I was? I don't need your pity, Tate!" He had been so angry for so long, that anger was all he knew. "My parents used to work for Gruumm, in fact they were spies for him, but when they caught wind of how he was using the information they had found, they fled and took me with them. Eleven years later he found us, killed my parents and took me." Dru leaned forward, giving Sky a look that sent shivers down his back. "So there, you heard my tragic story, happy?"

"Why didn't you say anything before? Cruger could have helped you." If they had known this from the start, then maybe so many lives that had perished because of this wouldn't have.

Dru laughed. "Cruger didn't even like me. He wouldn't have believed a word I said."

"I would have."

Dru just shook his head. "Oh, I see, you think that since Gruumm killed my parents and he killed your dad, that we have something in common. Well, let me let you in on a little secret, we don't." Anger burned inside of him. "You have no damn idea what it was like! Now leave me the hell alone!"

If he was hurt, he didn't show it. Sky got up and started towards the door, clutching in his hands the bracelet that Dru had given him so long ago. He stopped halfway and turned slightly. There was one last thing he _had _to know. "I need to know. Was I just another lie?"

Dru saw the bracelet hanging in Sky's hand. It had once been a symbol of their friendship, but now of their betrayal. He didn't deserve friends, not after everything he had done. He had killed Jones, nearly killed Cruger, and almost his best friend. He sighed heavily as his words came out slowly. "That was the only thing that was real." He licked his lips. "But we both know things will never be the same again between us. We can't go back."

Sky didn't answer. There was nothing else to say. Too much had happened between them; they could never go back to the way things were. They were from two different worlds, but they would never forget those first couple of years, back when their friendship had shined. He tightened his hand around the bracelet, his only reminder of how things used to be. And perhaps for the last time, he looked Dru in the eyes. "Goodbye, Dru…"

Once Sky was gone and he was alone, Dru let out a heavy sigh. He pulled up his sleeve to reveal his bracelet. Sky had been the only true friend he had, but he had been too blind to see it. He had let his anger and thirst for revenge get the best of him, and in the end he had hurt the only person that ever was really there for him. "Goodbye, Sky…"

* * *

It was time to say goodbye. The portal was open and ready to take Nova and Sam back home to a better future for both of them. Nova had been able to give Sam the antidote so that he would no longer remain in light form. It felt great to be himself again. A part of him did wish he could stay behind, but deep down he knew that couldn't happen. There couldn't be two of him running around.

Cruger walked up to both Sam and Nova, who were both unmorphed. "Thank you for your help." He shook both of their hands. "I look forward to working with both of you in the future."

"So do we," answered Sam. It felt good knowing they were going back to a future where his friends hadn't died by Gruumm's hand. It would be a better future for them all.

"Yes. It will be good to get to know you," answered Nova, smiling. She watched as Cruger stepped back and watched as Eric walked up to her. "Guess you get to see my face after all."

Eric grinned, he still couldn't believe it, but he wouldn't have expected anything less. He wouldn't let on he knew the truth; she had her reasons. And he respected and understood that; after all he knew a little about time travel and precautions. "Guess I do." He put out his hand. 'So I guess I'll see you in about twenty years or so."

"I'd better." She grinned. "Don't make me come back to save your ass again."

"I think I can stay out of trouble until then." He shook her hand. "Take care of yourself, kid."

Z was the last to walk up to Sam. The others weren't as close to him as she was. She would never forget him, and she found it silly that she would be missing him, even though he would still be here. She hugged him tightly. "I'll see you in about twenty years, Sam." It seemed almost unbelievable to think about, she'd be about thirty-seven by then.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Okay, Z, but this isn't goodbye, remember." They pulled away and he grinned. "I just have to grow up first."

"I know. Give me a call when you get there."

"I will." Sam went to join Nova by the portal and within a few seconds the two vanished, along with the portal.

Cruger walked around to face the new A squad rangers, Jack, and Eric. "Well, now that that's settled I believe you all have a vacation to start."

* * *

"Daddy!" yelled little six year old Wesley as he jumped into his father's arms. All the cadets and their families were in the large lounge room that was meant to hold big greetings.

"There's my boy." Eric hugged his son tightly. It then became very clear to him just how close he had come to losing this - that is, if it hadn't been for one very remarkable young woman. He looked ahead and saw Megan, his thirteen year old daughter, heading towards him with his wife Haley and youngest daughter Erin and Erin's friend Jenny.

"Daddy, Mom says you're in BIG trouble when you get home," announced Erin as she and Jenny danced around.

"Oh, did she?" Eric smiled and grinned.

Sky watched from a distance, watching as Hayley playfully swatted at Eric. While Megan seemed to be eyeing all the young male cadets, it seemed hard to believe; she was all grown up now. She wasn't the little girl he remembered. Then there was Erin and her friend dancing around having a good old time. And there was the young boy who had been named after his father. The last time he had seen Wesley was when he was just a baby. Watching them, he couldn't help but wish he could have that: parents who loved him, a sibling or two, a family.

"You know, family doesn't always mean blood," announced Z as she walked up to him.

Sky turned to her, and then looked past her to see Jack and Ally waving. He waved back and then looked back to Z. "I guess you would know, you and Jack I mean."

"Yeah. We may not be related by blood, but he'll always be like a big brother to me." She gripped his shoulder. "Give them a chance; besides Eric showed up here because he was concerned about you. And that's what a family's all about; being there for those you care about."

"And that's why you're going with Jack."

"Yeah. This is a big deal for him." She smiled and looked back to Jack and Ally. "Well, I should be going. I'll see you in three weeks. And think about what I said, Sky."

"I will. And give Jack my best." Sky bit his lip and looked back over at Eric. Z was right, maybe he did need to give Eric and Hayley another shot. They couldn't replace what he had lost, but they could fill a hole that he had been missing.

"I think I could get used to a place like this!" exclaimed Megan.

"Oh, I don't-"

"Oh, come on, Hails." Eric wrapped his arm around her. "If it's what our big girl wants, who are we to stop her?"

That was the last thing she had thought she would hear from his mouth, especially when she knew how he felt about Cruger. "But I thought..."

"That was a long time ago. It's time to let go of the past and let the future take over." He looked to Megan and smiled; he was already proud of her and she hadn't even done anything yet. "And I have a feeling it's going to be a good one."

"Okay. What the hell has gotten into you? Did you hit your head or something?'

Eric laughed. "No. I just know things are going to be alright. The future will be in good hands."

She took Wesley from Eric's hands. "Okay, I'm going to take the kids to the café for lunch." She then poked her husband in the chest. "After that we'll go home, and then you, Mister, are going straight to bed." She looked at Megan. "Megan, go find your sister and Jenny and meet me in the café."

"Alright." Megan watched as her mother and brother headed out and turned to her father. "So you really think I could go here?"

Eric laughed. _Some things never change_. "Go get your sister and we'll talk about it later."

* * *

Jack sighed heavily as he walked up to the front door, Ally and Z only a few feet behind him. His heart was racing as he reached for the doorbell. _What if they've forgotten all about me? What if they don't want me anymore?_ He wasn't sure what scared him more; right now he'd rather face an army of Gruumm's soldiers than to have come all this way only to be rejected. "Here goes nothing." He pressed the doorbell and heard the chime, a few seconds later the front door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman.

She stared at him for a long moment and then her eyes widened and filled with tears. "Jack!" she cried and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh Jack, you're alive!"

Jack wrapped his arms around her and tears filled his eyes. It wasn't until then that he released how much he had missed her. "It's okay, Mom, I'm home." And not a minute later Jack's father showed up at the door to see what the commotion was all about.

He felt like his heart had stopped when he looked into Jack's eyes, seeing the young boy who had left so long ago. "Jack…." He didn't know what to say, so many emotions were taking over, but all that mattered was that his boy was home.

After hugging his father, Jack stepped back to introduce the two young women standing behind him. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Z, who's been like a little sister to me, and Ally, my girlfriend."

"It's very nice to meet you both," greeted Jack's father, shaking both of the girls' hands.

"Yes. Please come in so we all can get to know each other. And find out what my baby's been up to all these years."

* * *

After they had finished eating lunch, Hayley had taken the kids to go get the truck, while Eric had gotten Megan all set to attend SPD for next year. He waited in the greeting room for the truck to pull up to the front door. Sensing that someone was standing behind him, he turned around. "Sky, what are you still-"

"I don't want things to go back to the way they were. I don't want another seven years to go by before I see you, Hayley, and the kids again."

"I don't want that either, Sky." Eric bit his lip. He had wanted this day for so long, for him and Sky to be able to be what they once had been, before everything had changed.

"I just don't know how to go back."

"Maybe we can just start over."

"I'd like that."

"So, I heard you have three weeks off."

"Yeah. Mine's actually a suspension, but yeah, I'm off."

"Would you like to come back with us to Reefside? I'm sure old Trip would love to see you."

Sky smiled. "I'd like that. Thanks."

Eric patted him on the shoulder. He looked ahead and saw the truck waiting for him. "I'll go let Hayley and the kids know. I'll be back in a few to help you with your bags."

"Thanks."

Bridge walked past Eric as he headed towards Sky. The two watched as Eric and Bridge's parents talked briefly to each other, as if they had known each other from long ago.

"So, you're going home with your uncle, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess I am."

"Good for you." Bridge turned and saw his parents waiting for him by the door. "Well, I should be going. I'll see you in a few weeks, Sky."

"Take care, Bridge, and make sure to work out. Because when we get back the _real_ fun begins." He waved goodbye. The only one left to say goodbye to was Syd. He watched as she slowly walked up to him. "Hey, Syd."

"Hey," she answered softly. She didn't know why she couldn't flat out say what she wanted to, maybe she was afraid he'd just blow her off or maybe she was afraid he wouldn't…

Sky looked out ahead, and saw a man he recognized as Syd's father, Gunnther Drew. "So your dad came to get you."

"Yeah. My mom had a teacher's conference at the school she works at. So I overheard you and Bridge, that you're going to stay at your uncle's place."

"Yeah. It's better than staying alone in an old mansion that hasn't had anyone in it for seven years." The truth was, he wasn't sure he could bear to go back into his old home. So many memories were there, so many ghosts. Maybe one day, when he was ready, he'd return to the home where he had spent many happy times with his father.

"How do you feel about that?"

"I'll let you know when I get there."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, so that means you'll call me."

"Yeah. Sure." He bit his lip, unsure of what to say next. He had never had problems before talking to her, why now… He wasn't sure. "And maybe we can hang out or something. Reefside's not far from Silver Hills and I was kind of thinking about attending a few of the meetings at Bio-Lab with Eric." After all, he wasn't going to be a ranger forever, it might actually be good to get to know the family business that his grandfather and father used to run.

"That sounds great." She smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

Eric walked up to Sky at exactly the same time Gunnther walked up to Syd. The two stared at each other for a long moment; both Sky and Syd could sense that the two appeared to have a history of some type with each other.

"Gunnther," Eric stated flatly.

"Eric." Gunnther smiled coolly. "Always a pleasure running into you." He looked away and turned to his daughter. "Are you ready to go, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Daddy." Syd looked back to Sky and smiled. "Bye, Sky, don't forget to call me."

"Bye, Syd." Sky watched her go and found himself staring at her as a strange feeling came over him, but he quickly shook off the thought.

Eric shook his head, sighing. "What is it with red rangers and pink rangers?"

"What are you talking about?" Then it finally clicked for Sky, what Eric was talking about. He suddenly got very defensive. "Oh, wait a minute, you think I _like_ her. Because I don't, we're just friends. And not to mention sh-she drives me crazy."

"Uh huh." Eric picked up one of Sky's bags and wrapped his free arm around Sky's back. "I seem to recall your father saying the same thing about your mother." He scratched his chin. "And her too, now that I think about it; before you were born they used to flirt around and play that 'oh, we're just friends' deal. Now _that_ drove me crazy."

Now that Sky thought about it, this was the first time he had ever heard Eric talking about his parents before they were together. And then the question he had been pondering for all those months came back to him. He had tried talking to Cruger about it, but the old dog didn't seem to know all the details of what he wanted to know. Eric might be the only person who could give him the answer he needed. "Speaking of my parents, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Shoot," replied Eric as the two walked up to the doors that led outside where Hayley and the kids were waiting for them.

"The accident that caused the mutations happened in 2001… after I was born."

Eric had known one day this would come up. But part of him always had hoped it wouldn't, because it would mean having to tell Sky the truth, about where he came from and how he came to be. It would mean telling him that all he thought he had known, was somewhat of a lie.

"You know, don't you?"

"Yeah." He sighed heavily. "But it's a long story." He smiled faintly. "And I can't promise you that the answer will be easy to accept."

The year had been full of surprises, both good and bad. But he had learned to overcome them and move on. What was one more surprise? "Well then, I guess it's a good thing that we've got plenty of time." Together, the two loaded up the bags into the truck and joined the others for the trip home.


End file.
